# Scorpion Therapeutics

> Scorpion Therapeutics was a Boston-based, clinical-stage precision oncology company built to advance what it called "Precision Oncology 2.0" - pairing cancer biology, computational chemistry, medicinal chemistry and genomics to design small-molecule drugs against cancer targets that had resisted earlier approaches. Founded in 2020 by a group of prominent scientists and biotech operators, it raised more than $440 million and built a pipeline of mutant-selective inhibitors, most notably the PI3K-alpha inhibitor STX-478 and a franchise of fourth-generation EGFR inhibitors. In January 2025 Eli Lilly agreed to acquire the company and its PI3K-alpha program in a deal worth up to $2.5 billion, while Scorpion's remaining pipeline and staff were spun into a new independent company, Antares Therapeutics.

- **Founded:** 2020
- **Headquarters:** Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- **Founders:** Gary Glick (Co-Founder & Founding President and CEO), Keith Flaherty (Co-Founder (clinical oncology; Mass General Cancer Center)), Gad Getz (Co-Founder (cancer genomics; Broad Institute)), Liron Bar-Peled (Co-Founder (cancer biology; Harvard/Mass General))
- **Team size:** Approximately 16 employees at the time of the Apollo record; the company employed well over 100 staff at its peak before the 2025 acquisition and spinout.
- **Products:** STX-478, STX-721, STX-241, Precision Oncology 2.0 discovery platform
- **Notable:** Launched in 2020 with a $108 million Series A, among the larger biotech launches of that year., Raised more than $440 million in total venture funding across three rounds., Built a clinical-stage pipeline spanning PI3K-alpha and multiple EGFR inhibitor programs.

## Products & services

- **STX-478** — An oral, once-daily, mutant-selective PI3K-alpha inhibitor in a Phase 1/2 trial for hormone-positive breast cancer and other advanced solid tumors; designed to inhibit mutant cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue for improved tolerability. This was the lead program acquired by Eli Lilly.
- **STX-721** — A mutant-selective EGFR inhibitor for EGFR exon 20 insertion non-small cell lung cancer; part of an EGFR franchise co-developed and licensed with Pierre Fabre Laboratories.
- **STX-241** — A potentially best-in-class fourth-generation, mutant-selective EGFR inhibitor targeting EGFR exon 19/21 mutations with the resistance-driving C797S mutation in non-small cell lung cancer; partnered with Pierre Fabre; first patient dosed October 2024.
- **Precision Oncology 2.0 discovery platform** — An integrated drug-discovery engine combining target discovery, cancer biology, computational and medicinal chemistry, cancer genomics and translational medicine to design small molecules against historically undruggable or hard-to-drug targets.

## Achievements

- Launched in 2020 with a $108 million Series A, among the larger biotech launches of that year.
- Raised more than $440 million in total venture funding across three rounds.
- Built a clinical-stage pipeline spanning PI3K-alpha and multiple EGFR inhibitor programs.
- Nominated STX-241 as a potentially best-in-class fourth-generation EGFR inhibitor.
- Struck a co-development and license deal with Pierre Fabre for its EGFR franchise.
- Agreed to be acquired by Eli Lilly for up to $2.5 billion in January 2025.
- Spun out remaining assets and team into Antares Therapeutics with a $177 million Series A.

## Latest updates

- **2025-06** — Scorpion's non-PI3K-alpha assets and team spun into a new independent company, Antares Therapeutics, backed by a $177 million Series A led by former CEO Axel Hoos.
- **2025-03** — Eli Lilly completed its acquisition of Scorpion's mutant-selective PI3K-alpha program.
- **2025-01** — Eli Lilly announced an agreement to acquire Scorpion and STX-478 in a deal worth up to $2.5 billion.
- **2024-10** — First patient dosed in the Phase 1/2 trial of STX-241 (PFL-241), partnered with Pierre Fabre, for EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer.
- **2024-07** — Announced a $150 million Series C financing to advance its clinical-stage precision oncology pipeline.

## Links

- Website: https://scorpiontx.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/scorpiontherapeutics
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/scorpiontx

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/scorpion-therapeutics
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Last updated: 2026-07-18