Viracta Therapeutics
Viracta Therapeutics was a clinical-stage precision oncology company developing treatments for virus-associated malignancies. The pre-revenue firm was publicly traded on NASDAQ (VIRX) before ceasing operations and winding down.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersCardiff By The Sea, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Viracta Therapeutics does
Viracta Therapeutics, Inc. was a precision oncology company developing treatments for virus-associated malignancies. Founded in 2007 and formerly headquartered in Cardiff By The Sea, California, the company pursued a scientific approach targeting cancers with viral etiologies, with technology and clinical programs that included assets acquired through the 2020 acquisition of Sunesis Pharmaceuticals. The company was led by President and CEO Mark Rothera alongside co-founders including George Stamatoyannopoulos and Douglas V. Faller, who also chaired the Scientific Advisory Board.
Viracta operated as a clinical-stage developer and never commercialized a product; all activities were funded by successive rounds of venture equity and a $50 million debt facility arranged with Silicon Valley Bank and Oxford Finance in November 2021. Between 2007 and 2021 the company raised more than $180 million across multiple rounds from investors including Lilly Ventures, Aberdare Ventures, aMoon Fund, Biotechnology Value Fund, Taiwania Capital, and Shenzhen Salubris Pharmaceuticals. The company was publicly traded on NASDAQ under the ticker VIRX before being delisted.
The company has ceased operations. Its website states that "The Company is no longer operating," with correspondence handled by an external administrator in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Previous SEC filings remain accessible through the SEC's public records, but no active products, pipeline advancement, or commercial activities are ongoing.
Viracta Therapeutics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Viracta Therapeutics
- Legal name
- Viracta Therapeutics, Inc.
- Website
- https://viracta.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Viracta Therapeutics was a clinical-stage precision oncology company developing treatments for virus-associated malignancies. The pre-revenue firm was publicly traded on NASDAQ (VIRX) before ceasing operations and winding down.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Viracta Therapeutics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Precision Oncology Therapeutics
- NAICS
- Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412)
- SIC
- Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Medical Oncology (HLAKAFAB)
Keywords
Where Viracta Therapeutics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cardiff By The Sea
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Viracta Therapeutics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Pre-revenue / Clinical Stage: Viracta Therapeutics was a clinical-stage precision oncology company focused on virus-associated malignancies. The company had not yet commercialized any products and was supported by venture funding and debt financing to fund its clinical trials and development pipeline.
Viracta Therapeutics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Viracta Therapeutics was a precision oncology company developing treatments for virus-associated malignancies. The company operated at the clinical stage and did not have any commercialized products at the time operations ceased. Its work centered on a precision oncology approach to identify and treat cancers linked to viral etiology.
Product overview
Viracta Therapeutics was a precision oncology company focused on developing treatments for virus-associated malignancies. The company is no longer operating and did not have any active products or services at the time of closure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Virus-Associated Malignancy Development Pipeline Pre-revenue clinical-stage drug development pipeline targeting virus-associated cancers; no products were commercialized while the company was operating.
Companies that use Viracta Therapeutics
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Viracta Therapeutics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Viracta Therapeutics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Viracta Therapeutics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Fate Therapeutics: Clinical-stage iPSC-derived cell therapy company in oncology with comparable small-cap clinical-stage risk profile and a similarly heavy R&D burn structure.
- Cellectis: Clinical-stage allogeneic CAR-T and gene-edited cell therapy company in oncology — a relevant small-cap clinical-stage peer for understanding the cell/gene therapy oncology landscape Viracta operated in.
- Adaptimmune Therapeutics: Clinical-stage TCR-T cell therapy company focused on solid tumors including virus-associated cancers; comparable as a small-cap precision oncology cell therapy peer with similar funding scale and clinical-stage risk profile.
- Precision BioSciences: Clinical-stage genome editing company developing allogeneic CAR-T and in vivo gene editing therapies in oncology — comparable as a small-cap clinical-stage precision oncology peer operating in the same NASDAQ-listed biotech ecosystem.
- Allogene Therapeutics: Clinical-stage allogeneic CAR-T company in oncology with similar small-cap, clinical-stage profile; relevant comparable for capital intensity and burn-rate dynamics that affected Viracta.
- Editas Medicine: Clinical-stage genome editing company in oncology and rare diseases — comparable as a small-cap clinical-stage precision medicine peer with similar capital intensity dynamics.
Direct peers
- Atara Biotherapeutics: Clinical-stage cell therapy company developing EBV-targeted T-cell therapies (tabelecleucel) for EBV-positive post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease and other virus-associated malignancies — the most directly comparable peer to Viracta's virus-associated cancer focus.
- Tessa Therapeutics: Singapore-based clinical-stage biotech developing EBV-specific autologous and allogeneic T-cell therapies for nasopharyngeal carcinoma and other EBV-associated cancers — directly comparable mechanism (virus-targeted cell therapy in oncology).
- Sunesis Pharmaceuticals (pre-acquisition): Clinical-stage oncology company acquired by Viracta in November 2020 — directly comparable as a small-cap clinical-stage precision oncology peer, particularly relevant given the M&A history embedded in Viracta's record.
Broad incumbents
- CRISPR Therapeutics: Larger clinical/commercial-stage gene editing company in oncology (CASGEVY approval) — provides a benchmark for what successful clinical-stage gene therapy oncology companies look like at scale relative to Viracta's failed trajectory.
Market position
Strengths2 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Viracta Therapeutics social profiles
Digital presenceViracta Therapeutics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Viracta Therapeutics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Viracta Therapeutics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds11 records
Investors22 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Viracta Therapeutics M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Viracta Therapeutics
What does Viracta Therapeutics do?
Viracta Therapeutics was a precision oncology company developing treatments for virus-associated malignancies. The company operated at the clinical stage and did not have any commercialized products at the time operations ceased. Its work centered on a precision oncology approach to identify and treat cancers linked to viral etiology.
When was Viracta Therapeutics founded?
Viracta Therapeutics was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Viracta Therapeutics based?
Viracta Therapeutics is headquartered in Cardiff By The Sea, United States, in the North America region.
How does Viracta Therapeutics make money?
One revenue line is on record: pre-revenue / Clinical Stage.
Who are Viracta Therapeutics's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Fate Therapeutics, Cellectis, Adaptimmune Therapeutics, Precision BioSciences, Allogene Therapeutics and Editas Medicine. Direct peers are Atara Biotherapeutics, Tessa Therapeutics and Sunesis Pharmaceuticals (pre-acquisition). CRISPR Therapeutics is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Viracta Therapeutics have an API?
No public API is recorded for Viracta Therapeutics.
What industry is Viracta Therapeutics in?
Viracta Therapeutics's product category is Precision Oncology Therapeutics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAKAFAB, Medical Oncology. Its NAICS code is 325414 and its SIC code is 2836.