What Cyrus Therapeutics does

Cyrus Therapeutics is a South Korean clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2019 by Byong-Moon Kim (former Head of R&D at CJ Healthcare) and a team of industry veterans from Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Dana-Farber/Harvard, and major Korean pharma. The company pursues a "drugging the undruggable targets" thesis, building an integrated drug discovery platform centered on small molecule inhibitors and Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD) modalities including PROTACs, Molecular Glue Degraders (MGDs), and Degrader-Antibody Conjugates (DACs). Its proprietary CyPath/CyFinder engine handles target identification and candidate optimization using structure-based design, CADD, and AI-augmented molecular modeling. The pipeline spans eight R&D programs, with CYRS1542 (oral GSPT1 molecular glue degrader for neuroendocrine cancers) leading as the first clinical-stage asset after FDA and MFDS IND approvals in 2025, alongside an SOS1 inhibitor co-developed with Kanaph Therapeutics, a CDK7 inhibitor, and EGFR degraders with Bridge Biotherapeutics. The company is exploring expansion beyond oncology into immune-inflammatory diseases via a September 2025 collaboration with Dong-A ST.

Cyrus operates a B2B licensing and co-development business model rather than direct commercialization. Revenue mechanics consist of upfront payments, development and approval milestones, and royalties from out-licensing drug candidates to large pharmaceutical partners. Notable transactions include a ₩208 billion SOS1 inhibitor deal with Yuhan Corporation (₩60B upfront, March 2024), a ₩24.8 billion HDNO-1765 oral GLP-1 deal with Hyundai Pharm (2020), and ₩70 billion of equity from Yuhan in November 2024. Co-development partnerships with Kanaph Therapeutics, Bridge Biotherapeutics, Mokgam Life Science Institute, and Dong-A ST share costs and risks across the pipeline. The company is funded through Series A (₩10B, 2020), Series B (₩29B, 2022), and a Series C round in progress, with global business development conducted at AACR and BIO USA conferences. Primary customers are global and Korean pharmaceutical companies seeking differentiated oncology and TPD pipeline assets.

Name

Cyrus Therapeutics

Legal name

Cyrus Therapeutics, Inc.

Website

https://cyrustx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cyrus Therapeutics is a South Korean clinical-stage biotech (founded 2019) developing small molecule inhibitors and targeted protein degraders (PROTACs, molecular glue degraders, DACs) for oncology and metabolic diseases, generating revenue through B2B out-licensing and co-development deals with global and Korean pharmaceutical partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oncology Therapeutics

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Drug Discovery (Target ID/Validation & Hit Discovery) (HLAIALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI), Protein Engineering & Directed Evolution Platforms (enzyme/therapeutic protein optimization) (HLAAAIAC)

Keywords

• Targeted protein degradation
• Small molecule drug discovery
• Molecular glue degraders
• Oncology drug development
• Degrader antibody conjugates

Headquarters

HQ city

Songpadong

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing / Out-licensing: Cyrus generates revenue through out-licensing its drug candidates to large pharmaceutical companies. Notable deal: SOS1 inhibitor licensed to Yuhan for up to ₩208 billion (₩60B upfront + milestone payments). CYRS1542 is being developed for global licensing. The company also licensed HDNO-1765 (oral GLP-1) to Hyundai Pharm for ₩248B (₩8B upfront + ₩240B milestones).
2. Co-development Partnerships: Revenue generated through co-development agreements with partners where costs and outcomes are shared. Partnerships include SOS1 inhibitor co-developed with Kanaph Therapeutics (licensed to Yuhan), EGFR PROTAC with Bridge Biotherapeutics, ARM platform with Mokgam Life Science Institute (GC Biopharma), and immunology/inflammation drug with Dong-A ST.
3. Equity Investment: The company has raised capital through equity financing. Series A (2020): ₩100B from Parasus Investment, Kolon Investment, Timefolio Asset Management. Series B (2022): ₩290B from existing investors plus Mirae Asset Capital, Mirae Asset Venture Investment, AT-Num Investment, and GC Biopharma. Series C is in progress. Yuhan invested ₩70B for equity stake in 2024.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cyrus Therapeutics discovers and develops small molecule drugs and targeted protein degraders (PROTACs, molecular glue degraders, and degrader-antibody conjugates) to drug previously undruggable targets in cancer and metabolic diseases. The company operates proprietary discovery platforms including a CRBN E3 ligase-based molecular glue degrader library, a degrader-antibody conjugate (DAC) platform, and the CyPath/CyFinder drug discovery engine, supporting a pipeline of approximately eight research programs across oncology and metabolic indications.

Product overview

Cyrus Therapeutics is a biotechnology company discovering and developing innovative medicines to conquer chronic or life-threatening diseases with high unmet needs. The company operates a multi-modality drug discovery platform focused on 'drugging the undruggable targets' using small molecule inhibitors, targeted protein degraders (TPDs) including PROTACs and molecular glue degraders, and degrader-antibody conjugates (DACs). The core product pipeline includes CYRS1542 (oral GSPT1 molecular glue degrader for neuroendocrine cancers), SOS1 inhibitors (co-developed with Kanaph, licensed to Yuhan), CDK7 inhibitors, and EGFR degraders (with Bridge Biotherapeutics). The company targets oncogenic pathways including RAS/MAP kinases, DNA damage response, cell cycle, and transcriptional regulation with emphasis on synthetic lethal targets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CYRS1542 Oral GSPT1 molecular glue degrader that induces tumor regression by degrading GSPT1, a translation termination factor essential for cancer cell survival. Developed for neuroendocrine solid cancers including small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and castration-resistant prostate cancer. Licensed to pharmaceutical partners for global development and commercialization.
• SOS1 Inhibitor (CK-1001/YH44529) Small molecule inhibitor targeting SOS1 protein that regulates KRAS activation. Effective against KRAS and EGFR mutant cancers including lung, colon, and pancreatic cancers. Licensed to Yuhan Corporation for global exclusive rights.
• CDK7 Inhibitor (C-16661) Novel cyclin-dependent kinase 7 inhibitor for various solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. Shows efficacy in breast cancer and addresses resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors. Developed for licensing or co-development with pharmaceutical partners.
• EGFR Degraders Targeted protein degraders (PROTACs) for EGFR mutations in non-small cell lung cancer, including single and compound EGFR mutations. Co-developed with Bridge Biotherapeutics to overcome EGFR TKI resistance. Targets NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations, including those resistant to existing EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Quantifiable outcome

• CYRS1542 demonstrated complete tumor regression (CR) in SCLC (NCI-H526 CDX) and NSCLC (NCI-H1155 CDX) models at high doses, with no tumor relapse after discontinuation of treatment.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Dong-A ST (동아에스티)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 September 2025Cyrus and Dong-A ST signed a joint research agreement for the development of molecular glue degrader drugs for immunology and inflammation disease treatment. Cyrus contributes its proprietary molecular glue degrader library and screening system for target candidate identification; Dong-A ST provides preclinical and clinical development capabilities. This expands Cyrus's modality beyond oncology into immune-inflammatory diseases.
• Yuhan CorporationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 March 2024Yuhan licensed the global exclusive rights to the SOS1 inhibitor (CK-1001, YH44529) co-developed by Cyrus and Kanaph Therapeutics for ₩208 billion (₩60B upfront + milestone payments). The SOS1 inhibitor addresses KRAS/EGFR-mutant cancers including NSCLC, colorectal cancer, and pancreatic cancer. Yuhan also invested ₩70 billion for equity stake in Cyrus in late 2024.
• Kanaph TherapeuticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCyrus and Kanaph Therapeutics co-developed the SOS1 inhibitor program, combining Cyrus's medicinal chemistry capabilities with Kanaph's drug fusion technology. The co-developed asset was licensed to Yuhan. The partnership leverages complementary drug development platforms for next-generation cancer therapeutics.
• Bridge BiotherapeuticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCyrus and Bridge Biotherapeutics co-develop EGFR protein degraders (PROTACs) for NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations, including those resistant to existing EGFR TKIs. The collaboration leverages Cyrus's TPD platform and Bridge's EGFR inhibitor development expertise. Also supported by KDDF funding and collaboration with Yonsei Cancer Center.
• St. Jude Children's Research HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a research collaboration partner on Cyrus's website for drug discovery acceleration. Specific collaboration details are not extensively detailed in available sources.
• GC BiopharmaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaboration partner on Cyrus's website. GC Biopharma participated in Cyrus's Series B investment round. Collaboration scope includes broader drug discovery partnerships.
• Mokgam Life Science Institute (목암생명과학연구소)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCyrus signed a joint research agreement with Mokgam Life Science Institute (under GC Biopharma) to develop anticancer drugs using the ARM (Antibody Recruiting Molecule) platform. Cyrus is responsible for lead compound design, synthesis, and SAR research; Mokgam handles target discovery, in vitro/in vivo efficacy studies, and lead selection.
• Yonsei Cancer CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a research collaboration partner on Cyrus's website, specifically involved in EGFR PROTAC research with patient-derived cancer cell studies.
• College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University (SNU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaboration partner on Cyrus's website for drug discovery acceleration.
• Seoul National University - Professor Kang Geon-wook (강건욱)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration for CYRS1542 drug mechanism and biomarker research, including in vivo NSCLC model studies where complete response was maintained after treatment discontinuation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Monte Rosa Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing molecular glue degraders with a direct overlap to Cyrus's GSPT1 MGD program; both companies pursue CRBN-based glue degraders against oncology targets.
• Kymera Therapeutics: Clinical-stage TPD biotech developing heterobifunctional degraders and molecular glues against oncology and immunology targets; directly comparable modality and stage.
• Nurix Therapeutics: Develops targeted protein degraders using a DNA-encoded library platform against oncology targets; comparable modality and partnership-driven business model.
• C4 Therapeutics: TPD-focused biotech developing small-molecule degraders across oncology indications, using a comparable degrader chemistry and discovery platform approach.
• Arvinas: Pioneer of PROTAC-based targeted protein degradation with clinical-stage assets in oncology; operates the same broad TPD modality that Cyrus leverages for its degrader pipeline.
• Kanaph Therapeutics: Korean biotech co-developing the SOS1 inhibitor with Cyrus that was licensed to Yuhan; directly comparable Korean oncology biotech with complementary fusion technology.

Emerging players

• Foghorn Therapeutics: Oncology-focused biotech using chromatin biology platform; overlaps with Cyrus's oncology focus and translational science capabilities though with a different core modality.

Broad incumbents

• Novartis: Global pharma with protein degradation programs and home to Cyrus CSO Wooseok Han's prior tenure; pursues TPD and degrader-antibody conjugate strategies overlapping Cyrus's platform.
• Bristol Myers Squibb: Large pharma that developed CC-90009, a GSPT1 molecular glue degrader explicitly cited as a competitor to Cyrus's CYRS1542; pursues broad oncology pipeline including TPD.

Regional players

• Bridge Biotherapeutics: Korean biotech co-developing EGFR PROTACs with Cyrus; comparable Korean clinical-stage oncology biotech with similar out-licensing and co-development orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors7 records

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Cyrus Therapeutics