Starlight Therapeutics

What Starlight Therapeutics does

Starlight Therapeutics is a clinical-stage precision oncology company focused exclusively on central nervous system (CNS) cancers, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lantern Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRN). The company's lead drug candidate, STAR-001 (also known as LP-184), is a tumor-selective prodrug belonging to the acylfulvene class of alkylating antineoplastic agents. STAR-001 exploits synthetic lethality in DNA damage repair (DDR)-deficient tumors by being activated by prostaglandin reductase 1 (PTGR1), an enzyme consistently overexpressed in glioblastomas relative to normal brain tissue. The compound demonstrates nanomolar potency in multiple in vitro and in vivo CNS cancer models, excellent blood-brain barrier permeability comparable to temozolomide, and efficacy irrespective of MGMT promoter methylation status, addressing a major resistance mechanism that limits current standard of care in approximately 65% of glioblastoma cases.

The company's technology platform is anchored by Lantern Pharma's proprietary RADR AI platform, which has analyzed billions of data points to identify patient subgroups and predict therapeutic responses for CNS cancer indications. Drug development is supported by a Scientific Advisory Board comprising internationally recognized neuro-oncology experts from UCSF, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. The leadership team includes Founder/Chairman/Acting CEO Panna Sharma, Acting CFO David Margrave, and CMO Marc Chamberlain, who brings extensive academic and industry oncology experience. STAR-001 has secured FDA Orphan Drug Designation, three Rare Pediatric Disease Designations, and Fast-Track Designation for glioblastoma, with FDA IND clearance for a Phase 1 pediatric trial obtained in March 2026.

Starlight Therapeutics is pre-revenue with no commercial product and has no disclosed standalone revenue. Its expected revenue model upon commercialization is prescription drug sales to hospitals, specialty oncology centers, and academic medical centers through specialty pharmacy and formulary channels typical of oncology therapeutics. The company's customer segments target three patient populations: adult glioblastoma patients (approximately 13,000 annual US cases), brain metastases patients from lung, breast, and melanoma primaries (100,000+ annual US cases), and pediatric CNS cancer patients including ultra-rare ATRT and DIPG (4,000+ annual US cases). The aggregate annual US market potential is estimated at $5-6 billion, with the company explicitly pursuing indications lacking accepted standard of care. As of April 2026, the company has 1-10 employees and operates from Plano, Texas, with clinical trial sites planned across the US, Canada, and Israel through the POETIC consortium.

Name

Starlight Therapeutics

Legal name

Starlight Therapeutics Inc.

Website

https://starlightthera.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Starlight Therapeutics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lantern Pharma, is a clinical-stage precision oncology company developing STAR-001, a synthetic lethality prodrug for adult and pediatric CNS cancers including glioblastoma, brain metastases, and ultra-rare pediatric tumors. The company leverages AI for development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Oncology Therapeutics

NAICS

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

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Neuro-Oncology (HLAKAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Precision oncology therapeutics
• CNS cancer treatment
• Glioblastoma drug development
• Brain cancer therapy
• AI-driven drug discovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Plano

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Drug Sales: Starlight is a pre-revenue clinical-stage precision oncology company. Its primary expected revenue stream will come from the commercialization of STAR-001 and potentially other pipeline candidates upon successful clinical development and FDA approval. Revenue would be generated through prescription drug sales in the US and potentially international markets.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Starlight Therapeutics is developing STAR-001 (LP-184), a brain-permeable, tumor-site-activated acylfulvene prodrug that leverages synthetic lethality in DNA damage repair (DDR)-deficient tumors. STAR-001 is activated by prostaglandin reductase 1 (PTGR1), which is overexpressed in CNS tumors, enabling selective cytotoxicity across glioblastoma, brain metastases, and rare pediatric CNS cancers including ATRT and DIPG. The company is advancing the asset through multi-phase clinical trials at leading academic medical centers toward FDA approval.

Product overview

Starlight Therapeutics is a precision oncology company focused solely on CNS (central nervous system) cancers, primarily brain cancers. The company is developing STAR-001 as its lead drug candidate for multiple CNS malignancies including glioblastoma, brain metastases, and rare pediatric CNS cancers. STAR-001 is supported by AI platforms including RADR for predictive analytics and patient stratification, and withZeta.ai for multi-agentic drug discovery assistance. The company operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lantern Pharma (NASDAQ: LTRN) with operations in Plano, Texas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• STAR-001 (LP-184) STAR-001 (LP-184) is a highly potent, brain-permeable small-molecule prodrug belonging to the acylfulvene class of alkylating antineoplastic agents. It targets both adult and pediatric CNS tumors through synthetic lethality, exploiting DNA damage repair vulnerabilities in tumor cells while sparing healthy cells, and is activated by PTGR1 which is overexpressed in glioblastomas. STAR-001 is being advanced through multi-phase clinical trials for glioblastoma, brain metastases, and rare pediatric CNS cancers.
• withZeta.ai withZeta.ai is a multi-agentic AI co-scientist platform designed to accelerate rare and complex cancer drug development by integrating multiple AI modalities through autonomous agent workflows. It supports precision oncology development for CNS cancers and other rare tumor types.

Quantifiable outcome

• In preclinical ATRT models, STAR-001 and spironolactone combination extended median survival by 181% compared to control.
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• POETIC (Pediatric Oncology Experimental Therapeutics Investigators' Consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarlight Therapeutics collaborates with POETIC for the conduct of its planned Phase I pediatric CNS cancer trial of STAR-001. The trial will enroll 18 to 42 patients aged 1-17 with relapsed or refractory CNS malignancies including DIPG, ATRT, medulloblastoma, ependymoma, and glioblastoma at approximately 15 leading academic pediatric oncology centers in the US, Canada, and Israel.
• Lantern Pharma (Parent Company)coreOthersStarlight Therapeutics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lantern Pharma (NASDAQ: LTRN). Lantern provides the RADR AI platform powering STAR-001's development, shared infrastructure, and clinical operations. The formation of Starlight allows Lantern to dedicate focused resources to advancing STAR-001 through targeted clinical trials.
• World-Leading Cancer ResearcherscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarlight was 'born from billions of data points using AI and in collaboration with world-class cancer researchers.' The company has established a Scientific Advisory Board with internationally recognized neuro-oncology experts from UCSF, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center who provide strategic guidance on clinical development and scientific strategy.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ImmunoGen: Oncology company developing antibody-drug conjugates with precision targeting approaches. Comparable in precision oncology drug development methodology, though at a more advanced commercial stage.
• Lantern Pharma: Parent company and developer of the RADR AI platform used by Starlight. Lantern is a publicly-traded AI-driven precision oncology company with a broader pipeline beyond CNS; directly comparable as the originator and sponsor of STAR-001/LP-184.
• Chimerix: Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing oncology therapeutics. Comparable in clinical-stage biopharma structure and oncology drug development, though with broader indication scope than Starlight.

Direct peers

• Kazia Therapeutics: Clinical-stage oncology company focused on brain cancer, including lead asset paxalisib for glioblastoma. Directly comparable as a small-cap CNS oncology biotech pursuing regulatory designations in GBM.
• Diffusion Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage oncology company developing therapies that target the tumor microenvironment, with applications in CNS cancers. Comparable in clinical-stage profile and oncology focus including GBM.
• PLUS Therapeutics: Clinical-stage oncology company developing targeted radiotherapeutics for CNS cancers, including glioblastoma. Comparable in clinical stage, indication focus, and small-cap biotech profile.
• Marinus Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage CNS-focused biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for seizure disorders and rare neurological diseases. Comparable as a CNS-focused biotech with FDA-designated programs.
• Kintara Therapeutics: Clinical-stage oncology company focused on CNS cancers including glioblastoma with lead asset VAL-083. Comparable as a small-cap CNS oncology biotech pursuing FDA-designated GBM therapy.
• CNS Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage company developing Berubicin for glioblastoma and other CNS tumors. Highly comparable as a CNS-oncology-focused small biotech with similar regulatory strategy and clinical-stage asset profile.

Emerging players

• Aprea Therapeutics: Clinical-stage precision oncology company developing targeted therapies exploiting DNA damage response pathways. Comparable in synthetic lethality / DDR-targeting approach and clinical-stage biotech profile.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/starlightthera

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Starlight Therapeutics