Strand Therapeutics is an MIT-spinout developing programmable mRNA therapeutics built on genetic circuits that can sense cellular state and conditionally activate therapeutic payloads. Lead asset STX-001 is in Phase 1 clinical trials for solid tumors via intratumoral delivery, with multiple RECIST responses reported in June 2025. Founded in 2017 by MIT synthetic biologists Jacob Becraft (CEO) and Tasuku Kitada (President & Head of R&D), with Ron Weiss (Becraft's PhD advisor) as cofounder and current advisor. Raised a $153M Series B in August 2025 led by Kinnevik at an estimated $550M post-money valuation (Forbes / PitchBook), up from $359M in November 2024 and just $15.5M at seed in 2019. Total funding to date: $257M across seven rounds including grants from NIH. Big Pharma syndicate includes Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Amgen Ventures, and Eli Lilly; ICONIQ joined as a new investor in the Series B alongside existing leads FPV Ventures and Playground Global.

Company Profile

Founders & Key People

Investors

Products

• STX-001 (intratumoral mRNA for solid tumors, in clinic)
• Programmable mRNA platform (cell-state-sensing genetic circuits)
• Pipeline for autoimmune and immune-mediated disease

Competitors

BiotechmRNAOncologyGenetic CircuitsBig Pharma Backed

Private-company numbers are not real-time. Reflects publicly disclosed valuations from press releases, news reports, and tender offers as of 2025-Q3. Refreshed quarterly.