Cylene Pharmaceuticals
Cylene Pharmaceuticals is a San Diego-based, privately held oncology drug developer (founded 2001) that discovers small molecule drugs targeting the nucleolus to selectively kill cancer cells; the company is currently inactive, with its corporate domain listed for resale.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Cylene Pharmaceuticals does
Cylene Pharmaceuticals is a San Diego-based, privately held oncology drug discovery and development company founded in 2001 that focuses on small molecule therapeutics designed to target the nucleolus and selectively kill cancer cells. The company's scientific premise is a non-traditional mechanism of action — disrupting ribosomal biogenesis or nucleolar function in tumor cells — and its reported activities span discovery through clinical development of those small-molecule candidates. Business model mechanics are not disclosed in the input: no product list, no approved drug, no pricing, no customers, no distribution channels, and no licensing or royalty arrangements are documented.
The firm was capitalized almost entirely by equity financings. Six disclosed rounds between October 2001 and January 2013 raised roughly $102 million cumulatively, with a peak Series C of $44 million in January 2007 led by HBM Healthcare Investments and Lilly Ventures and including Celgene, Bioventures Investors, Mitsui Global Investment, Research Corporation Technologies, and Sanderling Ventures. Subsequent capital was progressively smaller — $12 million in 2010 (with Novartis Venture Fund added), $15.6 million in 2011, and a sharply reduced $867,000 in January 2013 — consistent with a winding-down capital path rather than continued scaling. The investor roster is concentrated in life-sciences specialists and strategic pharma venture arms, indicating institutional validation during the company's active phase but no commercial partner revenue.
Operationally, the company currently reports 1-10 employees, its operating status is recorded as closed, and its former corporate domain (CylenePharma.com) is listed for sale by the third-party reseller HugeDomains at $7,995. There is no active corporate website, no disclosed management team, no product pipeline, no patent portfolio, no customer base, and no marketing or distribution channels in the supplied data. The available evidence describes a clinical-stage oncology R&D shop that exhausted its growth trajectory in the early 2010s.
Cylene Pharmaceuticals firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cylene Pharmaceuticals
- Website
- https://cylenepharma.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Cylene Pharmaceuticals is a San Diego-based, privately held oncology drug developer (founded 2001) that discovers small molecule drugs targeting the nucleolus to selectively kill cancer cells; the company is currently inactive, with its corporate domain listed for resale.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cylene Pharmaceuticals industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Oncology Therapeutics
- NAICS
- Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254)
- SIC
- Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Small-Molecule Generics (Branded/Unbranded) (HLAIABAA)
Keywords
Where Cylene Pharmaceuticals is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Cylene Pharmaceuticals business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Cylene Pharmaceuticals product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cylene Pharmaceuticals discovers, develops, and commercializes small molecule drugs that target the nucleolus of cancer cells to selectively kill them. The company's offering centered on proprietary anticancer small molecule therapeutics developed through its internal R&D platform. Operations appear to have ceased, with the company's web domain (CylenePharma.com) currently listed for resale.
Product overview
No product or service information available. The source data is from a domain sale page (HugeDomains.com) attempting to sell the domain CylenePharma.com. There is no actual company website, product information, or service offerings from Cylene Pharmaceuticals present in the source.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Nucleolus-targeting small molecule oncology drug candidates Proprietary small molecule drug candidates developed to selectively kill cancer cells by disrupting nucleolar function. Intended for oncology indications via pharmaceutical partnership, licensing, or commercialization.
Companies that use Cylene Pharmaceuticals
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles2 records
Cylene Pharmaceuticals technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Cylene Pharmaceuticals partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Cylene Pharmaceuticals competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sunesis Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage San Francisco Bay Area oncology small molecule developer. Comparable in venture-backed clinical-stage oncology small-molecule profile, with similar investor syndicates including Novartis Venture Fund.
- Ambit Biosciences: San Diego-based kinase-inhibitor oncology biotech acquired by Daiichi Sankyo. Closely comparable in therapeutic area (oncology), modality (small molecules), stage, and geography.
- TargeGen: San Diego-based clinical-stage oncology and hematology small molecule company acquired by Sanofi. Comparable in oncology small molecule focus, San Diego base, and clinical-stage profile.
- Trovagene (Cardiff Oncology): San Diego-based clinical-stage oncology company that developed PLK inhibitors, overlapping directly with Cylene's CX-3543 (quarfloxin), which originated as a polo-like kinase 1 inhibitor. Highly comparable in modality, stage, therapeutic area, and geographic ecosystem.
- Kalypsys: San Diego-based clinical-stage small molecule drug developer with similar size and stage profile to Cylene. Comparable in venture-backed clinical-stage operations and San Diego biotech ecosystem presence.
- SGX Pharmaceuticals: San Diego-based structure-guided oncology small molecule developer that was acquired by Eli Lilly in 2008. Direct peer given shared San Diego base, small-molecule oncology focus, and similar venture-backed clinical-stage profile.
Emerging players
- Aragon Pharmaceuticals: San Diego-based clinical-stage oncology drug developer (androgen receptor antagonist program) acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2013. Highly comparable in geographic ecosystem, oncology focus, and clinical-stage size.
Broad incumbents
- Pharmacyclics: Sunnyvale-based clinical-stage oncology drug developer acquired by AbbVie in 2015. Broader incumbent in venture-backed clinical-stage oncology, providing comparable benchmarks for clinical-stage valuation and exit dynamics.
- Onyx Pharmaceuticals: South San Francisco-based oncology drug developer acquired by Amgen in 2013. Broader incumbent in the same oncology space, with similar small molecule and biologic assets and overlapping San Diego-area presence.
- Cougar Biotechnology: Los Angeles-based clinical-stage oncology drug developer acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2009. Comparable clinical-stage oncology profile with similar investor backing and exit pathway.
Market position
Strengths2 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights2 records
Customer concentration
Cylene Pharmaceuticals social profiles
Digital presenceCylene Pharmaceuticals financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cylene Pharmaceuticals leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Cylene Pharmaceuticals funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors16 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cylene Pharmaceuticals 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 Cylene Pharmaceuticals
What does Cylene Pharmaceuticals do?
Cylene Pharmaceuticals discovers, develops, and commercializes small molecule drugs that target the nucleolus of cancer cells to selectively kill them. The company's offering centered on proprietary anticancer small molecule therapeutics developed through its internal R&D platform. Operations appear to have ceased, with the company's web domain (CylenePharma.com) currently listed for resale.
When was Cylene Pharmaceuticals founded?
Cylene Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2001. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Cylene Pharmaceuticals based?
Cylene Pharmaceuticals is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Cylene Pharmaceuticals's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Ambit Biosciences, TargeGen, Trovagene (Cardiff Oncology), Kalypsys and SGX Pharmaceuticals. Aragon Pharmaceuticals is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Pharmacyclics, Onyx Pharmaceuticals and Cougar Biotechnology.
Does Cylene Pharmaceuticals have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cylene Pharmaceuticals.
What industry is Cylene Pharmaceuticals in?
Cylene Pharmaceuticals's product category is Oncology Therapeutics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAIABAA, Small-Molecule Generics (Branded/Unbranded). Its NAICS code is 325412 and its SIC code is 2834.