Flare Therapeutics
Flare Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision oncology drugs by targeting transcription factors via its proprietary switch-site drug discovery platform. Its lead candidate FX-909 is in Phase 1B for biomarker-defined advanced urothelial cancer.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersCambridge, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Flare Therapeutics does
Flare's business model is currently pre-revenue and built on three pillars: (1) equity-financed internal drug development, with $82M raised in Series A (May 2021) and $123M in Series B (March 2023), totaling $205M in venture capital from investors including Third Rock Ventures, GordonMD Global Investments LP, Pfizer Ventures, Eli Lilly, Novartis, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; (2) strategic discovery and licensing collaborations, most notably the November 2024 Roche agreement providing $70M upfront plus potential milestones exceeding $1.8B and royalties, with Flare retaining ownership of its existing pipeline; and (3) clinical-trial collaborations, including a Merck supply agreement to evaluate FX-909 with KEYTRUDA. Future revenue is expected to come from drug commercialization (FX-909 targeting ~14,000 US cases of PPARG-high advanced urothelial cancer per year, within an 83,000+ US annual bladder cancer incidence), licensing royalties, and milestone payments. Distribution is conducted through approximately 12-15 US clinical trial sites under standard Phase 1B protocols. Leadership includes CEO Douglas Manion (appointed April 2024, formerly of Arena, Aclaris, BMS, GSK), CSO/Co-founder Robert Sims (ex-Constellation Pharmaceuticals), President/CFO Daphne Karydas, and CDO Michaela Bowden.
Flare Therapeutics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Flare Therapeutics
- Legal name
- Flare Therapeutics Inc.
- Website
- https://flaretx.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Flare Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision oncology drugs by targeting transcription factors via its proprietary switch-site drug discovery platform. Its lead candidate FX-909 is in Phase 1B for biomarker-defined advanced urothelial cancer.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Flare Therapeutics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Precision Oncology Therapeutics
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Drug Discovery (Target ID/Validation & Hit Discovery) (HLAIALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Lead Optimization & Preclinical Candidate Selection (HLAIALAB), Clinical Development (Phase I–III Trial Design & Execution) (HLAIALAE), Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI), Translational & Pharmacodynamic Biomarkers (MOA, target engagement, PD/PK-linked markers) (HLAAAMAD)
Keywords
Where Flare Therapeutics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cambridge
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Flare Therapeutics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Drug Development and Commercialization: Clinical-stage biotech with lead program FX-909 in Phase 1B. Revenue will come from drug sales upon regulatory approval. Partnered with Roche for discovery collaboration receiving $70M upfront with potential milestones exceeding $1.8B and royalties.
- Partnership and Collaboration Revenue: Strategic discovery collaboration with Roche worth up to $1.8B+ in milestones plus royalties. Retains co-funding option for one target for increased US royalties.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Flare Therapeutics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Flare Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision oncology small-molecule drugs that target transcription factors using its proprietary "switch-site" drug discovery platform. Its lead asset FX-909 is an orally bioavailable PPARG inhibitor currently in Phase 1B clinical trials for biomarker-defined advanced urothelial cancer, and its second program FX-111 is a heterobifunctional degrader of ARON in IND-enabling studies for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
Product overview
Flare Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company with a proprietary switch-site drug discovery platform focused on targeting transcription factors for precision oncology. The platform has identified more than 150 switch sites across transcription factor families. The company has two lead drug candidates: FX-909 (Phase 1B for urothelial cancer) and FX-111 (IND-enabling stage for prostate cancer), along with a discovery-stage portfolio targeting transcription factors in oncology and other therapeutic areas.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- FX-909 First-in-class orally bioavailable small molecule inhibitor of PPARG (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma), a master regulator of the luminal lineage. Currently in Phase 1B clinical trial for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer in biomarker-defined PPARG-high patient population.
- FX-111 First-in-class heterobifunctional degrader of ARON (transcriptionally active, hormone-bound conformation of the androgen receptor). Currently in IND-enabling studies for treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).
Quantifiable outcome
- Tumor regressions in 18 of 25 biomarker-defined patients (72%) including 5 confirmed partial responses and 1 complete response in Phase 1A study
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Flare Therapeutics
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Flare Therapeutics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature3 records
Flare Therapeutics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Merck (KEYTRUDA/pembrolizumab)coreClinical trial collaboration and supply agreement to evaluate FX-909 in combination with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in new cohort of ongoing Phase 1 trial in metastatic urothelial cancer. Addresses potential to combine PPARG inhibition with anti-PD1 to overcome immune resistance.
- RochecoreStrategic discovery collaboration leveraging Flare's proteomic and mass spectrometry platform to discover novel small molecule drugs targeting previously undrugged transcription factor targets in oncology. Flare receives $70M upfront and potential milestones exceeding $1.8B plus royalties. Flare retains co-funding option for one target for increased US royalties and retains ownership of existing pipeline.
- PathAIminorPartnership to develop AI-based model that identifies luminal subtype urothelial cancer characterized by high PPARG expression using H&E-stained slides. Model achieved AUROC ≥95% accuracy across test, validation and independent datasets.
- Caris Life SciencescoreMulti-year strategic preferred portfolio partnership providing comprehensive molecular profiling (whole exome and whole transcriptome sequencing) for patients in Flare's clinical trials. Leverages Caris' clinico-genomic database and AI/ML capabilities for biomarker-driven patient selection. Caris receives first option to develop companion diagnostic for any drug candidate from collaboration.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Flare Therapeutics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Revolution Medicines: Clinical-stage precision oncology company developing inhibitors of difficult-to-drug oncogenic drivers (RAS, SHP2) with biomarker-defined patient strategies similar to Flare's PPARG-high urothelial approach.
- Blueprint Medicines: Commercial-stage precision oncology company targeting genomically defined patient populations with kinase inhibitors, operating a broader platform while sharing Flare's biomarker-driven patient selection and small molecule oncology approach.
Direct peers
- Kymera Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech using targeted protein degradation (Pegasus platform) to address transcription factors and other previously undruggable targets in oncology and immunology, with comparable platform-based pipeline strategy.
- Foghorn Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing small molecule drugs against transcription factors and chromatin regulatory complexes for oncology, using a related 'gene traffic control' platform approach. Directly comparable as a transcription factor-targeting peer in precision oncology.
- C4 Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing small molecule degraders (TORPEDO platform) of oncology targets including transcription factors, directly comparable to Flare's heterobifunctional degrader approach embodied in FX-111.
- Arvinas: Pioneer in targeted protein degradation (PROTAC) with oncology programs including ARV-110 for AR-driven prostate cancer, directly overlapping with Flare's FX-111 ARON program and its broader platform approach to previously undruggable targets.
- Relay Therapeutics: Clinical-stage precision oncology company using motion-based drug design to target previously undruggable drivers including transcription-factor and chromatin regulators, with PI3K-alpha franchise comparable to Flare's biomarker-defined oncology strategy.
Emerging players
- Syndax Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage oncology company developing small molecule drugs targeting chromatin/epigenetic regulators, with comparable profile to Flare as a venture-backed precision oncology peer (and notable personal overlap given Flare President/CFO's prior role there).
- Inzen Therapeutics: Emerging oncology company founded by former Foghorn scientists targeting transcription factors and cell-state biology, representing an early-stage niche peer in the same switch-site-inspired drug discovery space.
- Accutar Biotech: Emerging clinical-stage company using AI-driven drug design to target transcription factors and other challenging protein classes in oncology, representing a niche but directly comparable approach to drugging transcription factors.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Flare Therapeutics social profiles
Digital presenceFlare Therapeutics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Flare Therapeutics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Flare Therapeutics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors15 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Flare Therapeutics M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Flare Therapeutics
What does Flare Therapeutics do?
Flare Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision oncology small-molecule drugs that target transcription factors using its proprietary "switch-site" drug discovery platform. Its lead asset FX-909 is an orally bioavailable PPARG inhibitor currently in Phase 1B clinical trials for biomarker-defined advanced urothelial cancer, and its second program FX-111 is a heterobifunctional degrader of ARON in IND-enabling studies for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
Is Flare Therapeutics a public or private company?
Flare Therapeutics is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Flare Therapeutics founded?
Flare Therapeutics was founded in 2021. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Flare Therapeutics based?
Flare Therapeutics is headquartered in Cambridge, United States, in the North America region.
How does Flare Therapeutics make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Drug Development and Commercialization is the primary driver. The others are partnership and Collaboration Revenue.
Who are Flare Therapeutics's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Revolution Medicines and Blueprint Medicines. Direct peers are Kymera Therapeutics, Foghorn Therapeutics, C4 Therapeutics, Arvinas and Relay Therapeutics. Emerging players are Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inzen Therapeutics and Accutar Biotech.
Does Flare Therapeutics have an API?
No public API is recorded for Flare Therapeutics.
What industry is Flare Therapeutics in?
Flare Therapeutics's product category is Precision Oncology Therapeutics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAIALAA, Drug Discovery (Target ID/Validation & Hit Discovery), with a secondary code of HLAIALAB, Lead Optimization & Preclinical Candidate Selection. Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 2834.