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Kronos Bio develops small-molecule therapeutics, specifically addressing historically challenging cancer targets. The company leverages proprietary small-molecule microarray technology to identify and advance first-in-class drug candidates. Its pipeline focuses on modulating transcription factors crucial to oncogenic pathways, aiming to disrupt cancer progression.
Kronos Bio was established in 2017, based on scientific insights and refined small-molecule microarray technology from MIT chemist Angela Koehler. Norbert Bischofberger, former R&D executive at Gilead Sciences, joined as President and CEO in 2018. This leadership aimed to translate pioneering discovery platforms into clinical therapies.
The company’s efforts are directed toward cancer patients, particularly those with limited treatment options due to challenging molecular targets. Kronos Bio envisions a future where its targeted therapies offer significant clinical benefits, fundamentally altering disease trajectories. The long-term vision centers on delivering precision medicines improving patient outcomes in oncology.
Kronos Bio has raised $313.0M across 4 funding rounds.
Kronos Bio has raised $313.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Kronos Bio has raised $313.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Kronos Bio's investors include Perceptive Advisors, BlackRock, Casdin Capital, Commodore Capital, EcoR1 Capital, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Google Ventures, Invus, Nextech Invest, Omega Funds, Polaris Partners, Surveyor Capital.
Kronos Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing small-molecule therapeutics that target dysregulated transcription factors and their regulatory networks to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases.[1][2][4][5] Its lead candidates include istisociclib (formerly KB-0742), a CDK9 inhibitor evaluated in Phase 1/2 trials for MYC-dependent solid tumors like ovarian, breast, and lung cancers, and KB-9558, a p300 KAT inhibitor targeting the IRF4 transcription network in multiple myeloma.[1][2][3][4] The company serves patients with transcriptionally addicted cancers and serious diseases, addressing unmet needs in hard-to-drug targets by mapping entire transcriptional regulatory networks (TRNs) for multiple intervention points.[4] Growth has included a Genentech collaboration since 2023 on oncology targets, 12 patents filed, and recent preclinical data presentations, though it discontinued istisociclib development in Q3 2024 due to benefit-risk concerns and is evaluating strategic alternatives, with its latest funding as an acquisition pending.[1][3]
Kronos Bio was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with some sources noting early ties to San Mateo, California.[1][3] The company's emergence stemmed from a novel scientific approach to drugging transcription factors—long considered undruggable—by analyzing them within their full TRNs rather than in isolation, enabling identification of critical nodes like CDK9 and p300.[4] Early traction built around this platform, leading to KB-0742 entering Phase 1/2 trials for MYC-driven cancers and partnerships like the 2023 Genentech deal for oncology transcription targets.[1][2] Pivotal moments include advancing KB-9558 for multiple myeloma and KB-7898 for Sjögren’s disease to preclinical stages, alongside patents in autoimmune diseases and oncology.[1][4][7]
Kronos Bio rides the wave of precision oncology and autoimmune therapies targeting "undruggable" transcription factors, a trend accelerated by advances in network biology and AI-driven target identification.[4][5] Timing aligns with surging demand for MYC- and IRF4-focused drugs amid rising cancer incidence and limited options for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer or multiple myeloma, bolstered by market forces like Big Pharma collaborations (e.g., Genentech) and tools streamlining trials.[2][3][6] It influences the ecosystem by validating TRN mapping for hard targets, contributing patents and data to inflammation modulation and HPV-driven tumors, while its strategic review amid pipeline shifts highlights biotech's adaptive pressures in a funding-constrained environment.[1][3][7]
Kronos Bio's pivot from istisociclib discontinuation to emphasizing p300 inhibitors like KB-9558 and KB-7898 positions it for breakthroughs in multiple myeloma, autoimmune diseases, and inflammation, potentially via partnerships or its pending acquisition.[1][3][4] Trends like TRN-targeted precision medicine and Agile clinical tech will shape its path, amplifying impact if KB-9558 advances to trials with ASH and ACR data backing efficacy.[3] Influence may evolve through acquisition integration or licensing, tying back to its core strength: transforming undruggable transcription networks into viable therapies that extend lives cut short by cancer.[4]
Kronos Bio has raised $313.0M across 4 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $155.0M Other Equity in August 2020.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 24, 2020 | $155.0M Other Equity | Perceptive Advisors | BlackRock, Casdin Capital, Commodore Capital, EcoR1 Capital, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Google Ventures, Invus, Nextech Invest, Omega Funds, Polaris Partners, Surveyor Capital, T. Rowe Price Associates, Woodline Partners |
| Jul 1, 2019 | $110.0M Series A | Vida Ventures, Omega Funds | ARCH Venture Partners, Nextech Invest, Versant Ventures |
| Jun 1, 2019 | $30.0M Series A | Endeavor Venture Funds | |
| May 23, 2018 | $18.0M Seed | John Martin, Norbert Bischofberger, Bellco Capital, Omega Funds, Vida Ventures |