What Synlogic does

Synlogic, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2014 by MIT researchers James Collins, PhD, and Tim Lu, MD, PhD, to develop Synthetic Biotics — a class of oral, GI-restricted medicines produced through precision genetic engineering of well-characterized probiotic bacteria. The company's proprietary platform combines molecular biology, microbial engineering, and physiology, supported by a library of synthetic biology components, metabolic gene circuitry, and regulatory genetic switches that enable engineered probiotics to consume or modify disease-specific metabolites within the gastrointestinal tract. The clinical pipeline includes labafenogene marselecobac (SYNB1934) for phenylketonuria under the Synpheny program, SYNB1353 for homocystinuria, SYNB8802 for enteric hyperoxaluria, SYNB2081 for gout, a preclinical cystinuria program, and an inflammatory bowel disease program developed in collaboration with Roche.

Synlogic is pre-revenue with no approved products, and operates as a publicly traded company on NASDAQ under ticker SYBX, headquartered in Cambridge, MA with a headcount of roughly 51–100 employees. The company's business model is structured around advancing drug candidates through clinical development toward regulatory approval, with the long-term monetization path based either on direct commercialization of approved biotherapeutics targeting rare metabolic diseases or on out-licensing rights to larger commercial partners. As of October 2023, the company completed a $21.0 million underwritten public offering intended to extend operating runway into the first half of 2025; operations have historically been funded through a mix of venture capital, public equity offerings, and strategic partnerships including a Roche IBD collaboration and an early-stage synthetic biology partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks.

Synlogic serves patients with rare metabolic diseases — including phenylketonuria, homocystinuria, enteric hyperoxaluria, gout, and cystinuria — where existing treatment options are limited by safety, efficacy, or tolerability concerns. The go-to-market approach, contingent on future approval, would rely on specialty rare-disease commercialization channels, healthcare provider engagement in metabolic disease centers, and patient advocacy partnerships. The discontinuation of the Synpheny-3 Phase 3 study in phenylketonuria materially reshaped the company's near-term trajectory and forced a strategic refocus toward earlier-stage pipeline assets and partnership-driven development.

Name

Synlogic

Legal name

Synlogic, Inc.

Website

https://synlogictx.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Synlogic is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing Synthetic Biotics — orally administered, GI-restricted engineered probiotic medicines designed to consume or modify disease-specific metabolites. It targets patients with rare metabolic diseases including phenylketonuria, homocystinuria, enteric hyperoxaluria, gout, and cystinuria.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biotherapeutics

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineered Microbial Therapeutics (synthetic biology, gene circuits) (HLAAAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Synthetic Biology & Genetic Circuit Design Platforms (pathway engineering, chassis development) (HLAAAIAD)

Keywords

• Synthetic biotic medicines
• Rare metabolic therapeutics
• Engineered probiotic drugs
• Oral biotherapeutic candidates
• Clinical-stage biopharmaceuticals

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Biopharmaceutical Development: As a clinical-stage biotechnology company, Synlogic is focused on developing and commercializing its pipeline of Synthetic Biotics for rare metabolic diseases. The company is pre-revenue with no approved products yet, and is funded through public offerings and partnerships to advance clinical development toward regulatory approval.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Synlogic develops Synthetic Biotics, a class of orally administered, GI-restricted biotherapeutic drug candidates created by precision genetic engineering of well-characterized probiotics. These drug candidates are designed to consume or modify disease-specific metabolites in the gastrointestinal tract to treat rare metabolic diseases including phenylketonuria (PKU), classical homocystinuria (HCU), enteric hyperoxaluria, gout, and cystinuria. The company operates a clinical-stage pipeline and is pre-revenue, advancing candidates through clinical trials toward regulatory approval.

Product overview

Synlogic is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing Synthetic Biotics, a platform of living therapeutics created through precision genetic engineering of well-characterized probiotics. The company's portfolio includes multiple drug candidates: Labafenogene marselecobac (SYNB1934/Synpheny) for phenylketonuria (PKU), SYNB1353 for classical homocystinuria (HCU), SYNB8802 for enteric hyperoxaluria, SYNB2081 for gout, an undisclosed program for cystinuria, and an IBD program in collaboration with Roche. All candidates are designed as oral, GI-restricted medicines that consume or modify disease-specific metabolites.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Synpheny: Brand name associated with Synlogic's phenylketonuria (PKU) treatment program and the drug candidate labafenogene marselecobac (SYNB1934).

Products and services

• Labafenogene marselecobac (SYNB1934) / Synpheny An orally administered, GI-restricted Synthetic Biotic drug candidate designed to consume phenylalanine in the gastrointestinal tract, intended as a biotherapeutic for patients with phenylketonuria (PKU), an inherited metabolic disease where current treatment options are limited.
• SYNB1353 A novel orally-administered, non-systemically absorbed Synthetic Biotic drug candidate designed to consume methionine in the gastrointestinal tract, thereby lowering homocysteine levels in patients with classical homocystinuria (HCU).
• SYNB8802 A Synthetic Biotic drug candidate designed to consume dietary oxalate throughout the GI tract, being studied as a potential treatment for enteric hyperoxaluria, a chronic progressive disease characterized by high levels of urinary oxalate leading to recurrent kidney stones, kidney damage, and potential CKD/ESRD.
• SYNB2081 A Synthetic Biotic drug candidate designed to lower uric acid as a potential treatment of gout, a complex form of inflammatory arthritis occurring when extra uric acid forms crystals in joints, causing intense pain, inflammation, and limited range of motion.
• Undisclosed Cystinuria Program An early-stage Synthetic Biotic drug candidate program exploring the potential to reduce cystine in urine as a treatment for cystinuria, a genetic disease in which kidney stones consisting of cystine form and may recur or become lodged in the kidneys, ureters, or bladder.
• IBD Program (Roche Collaboration) A research-stage Synthetic Biotic program under collaboration with Roche focused on the discovery of a novel oral biotherapeutic for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Quantifiable outcome

• SYNB1934 demonstrated proof of concept in clinical studies for PKU treatment
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• RochecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2021In June 2021, Synlogic began a research collaboration with Roche focused on the discovery of a novel Synthetic Biotic for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The partnership leverages Synlogic's synthetic biology expertise in combination with Roche's resources for drug discovery.
• Ginkgo BioworkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSynlogic partnered with Ginkgo Bioworks to develop additional preclinical assets, combining Synlogic's Synthetic Biotics approach with Ginkgo's Codebase and Foundry services. This partnership yielded SYNB1353 (for HCU) and SYNB2081 (for gout), the company's second drug candidate developed through this partnership.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Tenaya Therapeutics: Clinical-stage gene therapy company with a PKU program (and other rare metabolic disease candidates). Comparable as a competing modality (gene therapy) targeting the same rare metabolic indications in Synlogic's pipeline.
• Eligo Bioscience: Emerging engineered-microbiome company using synthetic biology to program resident bacteria (and phages) for precision therapeutic action. Comparable as a synthetic-biology-driven engineered microbe platform, though earlier-stage and more delivery-modality focused.
• Federation Bio: Synthetic biology platform engineering defined and synthetic microbial communities for therapeutic use. Comparable through use of synthetic biology to engineer consortia of microbes to modulate disease-relevant metabolites in the GI tract.

Direct peers

• Seres Therapeutics: Clinical-stage microbiome therapeutics company developing defined bacterial consortia for serious diseases (including SER-109 for recurrent C. difficile infection). Closely comparable to Synlogic in modality, stage, and reliance on regulatory designations and capital markets.
• Novome Biotechnologies: Engineered microbial therapeutics company using genetically engineered gut bacteria to consume disease-driving metabolites (initial focus on hyperoxaluria). Highly comparable platform concept — engineered probiotics consuming metabolites — directly overlaps with SYNB8802's indication.
• 4D Pharma: Clinical-stage microbiome therapeutics company with a pipeline of single-strain Live Biotherapeutic Products (LBPs) for cancer, respiratory, and gastrointestinal indications. Directly comparable modality and stage to Synlogic's Synthetic Biotics platform.
• Vedanta Biosciences: Develops defined bacterial consortia and live biotherapeutics for immune-mediated diseases. Direct peer given shared focus on orally administered, GI-restricted bacterial therapeutics and similar mechanism-of-action leveraging the microbiome.
• Evelo Biosciences: Clinical-stage company developing orally delivered microbial therapeutics for inflammatory diseases and oncology. Direct peer given shared GI-restricted single-strain therapeutic concept and rare/serious disease focus.

Broad incumbents

• BioMarin Pharmaceutical: Established rare-disease leader with approved PKU treatments (Palynziq, pegvaliase). Not a microbiome peer, but a broad incumbent defining the commercial market and competitive landscape that Synlogic's discontinued PKU program would have entered.

Others

• Ginkgo Bioworks: Synthetic biology platform company that is both a Synlogic collaboration partner (producing SYNB1353 and SYNB2081) and an adjacent infrastructure provider of engineered organism development services. Not a therapeutic competitor, but a strategic partner and ecosystem enabler.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/synlogic_tx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds12 records

Investors12 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Synlogic