Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SYRS)

When you look at a biopharmaceutical company like Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SYRS), their Mission Statement, Vision, and Core Values aren't just corporate boilerplate; they are the compass guiding a high-stakes capital allocation strategy where the stakes are life-changing medicine and a tight cash runway.

In 2024, the company committed a substantial $65.8 million to Research and Development (R&D) to pursue their mission of harnessing gene control to revolutionize treatments for hematologic malignancies, a massive bet that must pay off before their cash reserves, projected to fund operations only into the third quarter of 2025, run dry. Do you defintely understand how a vision to redefine the standard of care for blood disorders translates into prioritizing their lead candidate, Tamibarotene, which is targeting a market projected to exceed $800 million by 2029?

We'll break down the core principles-Innovation, Integrity, and Collaboration-that dictate how Syros Pharmaceuticals is navigating this near-term financial reality to achieve its long-term vision.

Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SYRS) Overview

You're looking for the real story behind Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and honestly, it's a textbook case of pioneering science meeting brutal biotech market realities. Syros, founded in 2011, is a biopharmaceutical company that has focused on developing a new class of gene control therapeutics, which are medicines designed to regulate the expression of disease-driving genes.

The company's core mission centered on treatments for hematologic malignancies (blood cancers) and other diseases with high unmet needs. Their most advanced candidates included Tamibarotene, a selective RARα agonist, which was in a Phase III trial for higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (HR-MDS), and SY-2101, an oral form of arsenic trioxide for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). The focus was on identifying novel drug targets in the non-coding regions of the genome-a truly innovative approach.

However, the financial picture reflects a massive strategic pivot. For the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended September 2024, Syros Pharmaceuticals reported revenue of approximately $0.39 million. Critically, the company recognized no revenue in the third quarter of 2024 due to the termination of a collaboration agreement, which is a stark indicator of the shift away from early-stage partnership funding. This financial pressure led to a major restructuring in 2025.

Financial Performance and Strategic Realignment in 2025

When you look at the financials, you see a company making hard, fast decisions to survive. The latest reported quarterly results, Q3 2024, showed a net loss of $6.4 million, which, to be fair, was a significant improvement from the $40.1 million net loss reported in the same quarter of 2023. That reduction was driven by sharp cuts, like the 35% workforce reduction implemented to focus resources.

Here's the quick math on their cash runway: as of September 30, 2024, Syros had cash and cash equivalents of $58.3 million. Based on their operating burn rate at the time, this was expected to fund operations only into the third quarter of 2025. That's a tight window, and it forced a dramatic change.

The biggest near-term risk materialized in early 2025: Syros voluntarily delisted from the Nasdaq and deregistered its common stock around March 2025. This is the opposite of a growth story, but it was a clear action to manage costs and regulatory burdens. Plus, in a move that fundamentally changed the company, Rege Nephro acquired the Tamibarotene-related clinical and non-clinical assets in early 2025. This sale of the lead asset, while providing some capital, signals a complete shift away from the development strategy you might have initially invested in. Honestly, it's a defintely painful but necessary move for a clinical-stage company running low on cash.

• Q3 2024 Net Loss: $6.4 million.
• Q3 2024 Revenue: $0.
• Cash Runway: Into Q3 2025 (as of Sep 2024).
• Key 2025 Action: Sold Tamibarotene assets.

Pioneering Science and Industry Position

Syros Pharmaceuticals' place in the industry isn't defined by market capitalization or sales figures in 2025, but by its pioneering approach to gene control. They were one of the first companies to truly focus on the regulatory elements of the genome, particularly the 'Super-Enhancers'-regions that control the expression of key disease-driving genes. This scientific foundation is what initially validated the company, leading to a collaboration with Celgene in 2016 that was potentially valued over $600 million.

While the company has faced severe financial challenges, culminating in the 2025 delisting and asset sales, their initial vision to develop transformative new medicines for cancer and blood disorders remains a critical benchmark for the biopharma sector. Their story is a powerful example of how high-risk, high-reward drug discovery works: you either hit a blockbuster or you're forced into a radical strategic reorganization. Understanding the depth of this strategic shift is crucial for any decision-maker. You need to know not just what they sold, but why. You can find more details on the stakeholders who navigated this turbulent period at Exploring Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SYRS) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SYRS) Mission Statement

You're looking at Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SYRS) because you want to know what truly drives their valuation and strategic focus, especially in a volatile biotech market. The company's mission statement is your roadmap; it's the non-negotiable guide for capital allocation and R&D prioritization. Simply put, Syros Pharmaceuticals is dedicated to revolutionizing the treatment of diseases by harnessing the power of gene control to offer new standards of care for patients with high unmet needs, particularly in hematologic malignancies.

This mission isn't just a corporate slogan; it's the framework that dictates their spending, like the $65.8 million in Research and Development (R&D) expenses reported for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. That money is focused, and it has to be, given the company's cash position of $89.7 million at the end of 2024, which is projected to fund operations only into the third quarter of 2025. That's a tight runway. Understanding this mission helps you map their near-term risks and opportunities, which is defintely the critical work right now.

Component 1: Harnessing the Power of Gene Control

The first core component is the commitment to a new scientific approach: gene control. This means they aren't just trying to inhibit a faulty protein; they are focused on modulating the expression of genes-turning them on, off, up, or down-to treat the fundamental cause of a disease. This is precision medicine at its most ambitious.

The lead product candidate, Tamibarotene, is the best example of this in action. It's a selective retinoic acid receptor alpha (RAR$\alpha$) agonist. Here's the quick math on the opportunity: the drug is in a pivotal Phase 3 trial, SELECT-MDS-1, targeting higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (HR-MDS) patients who overexpress the $RARA$ gene. This is a specific, genomically defined subset that represents about 50% of the approximately 9,000 newly diagnosed HR-MDS patients annually in the U.S. That focus is smart.

• Focus on the regulatory genome, not just single genes.
• Develop a new class of small molecule transcriptional medicines.
• Prioritize innovation over incremental change.

Component 2: Addressing Severe and Underserved Diseases

The second pillar is an empathetic, patient-centric focus on severe and underserved diseases. This is a business decision, too, because unmet medical need often translates to a faster regulatory pathway and stronger pricing power. Syros Pharmaceuticals specifically targets hematologic malignancies and other diseases where current treatment options are insufficient or non-existent.

Consider the HR-MDS population. For over a decade, no new therapies beyond hypomethylating agents (HMAs) have been approved for the frontline treatment of these patients. This is a clear gap. Tamibarotene is positioned to fill that void for the $RARA$-overexpressing group. This focus on high-need areas also attracts collaboration revenue, such as the $7.5 million in collaboration revenue reported in the 2024 fiscal year, which helps fund the costly R&D process. You can dig deeper into who is partnering with them and why by Exploring Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SYRS) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

Component 3: Advancing New Standards of Care

The final component is the vision-level goal: to deliver transformative new medicines that redefine the standard of care. It's not enough to be just another drug; the mission demands a profound and durable benefit for patients. This is where the company's core values of Innovation, Integrity, and Collaboration come into play.

Their commitment to advancing new standards of care is evident in their strategic decision to file for a New Drug Application (NDA) and independently launch Tamibarotene in the U.S. upon potential approval. This move shows a belief in the drug's potential to be a first-line treatment. The market opportunity for Tamibarotene is projected to exceed $800 million by 2029, a clear indicator of the potential for a redefined standard of care. If the pivotal Phase 3 data, expected in mid-November 2024, is positive, the entire investment thesis changes overnight. Still, the risk is high; Phase 3 failures in this space are not uncommon.

Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SYRS) Vision Statement

You need to know where a company is going, especially one navigating the volatile biotech space. Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s vision is straightforward: to advance new standards of care for patients with hematologic malignancies (blood cancers) and other severe diseases. This isn't just a feel-good statement; it's a high-stakes roadmap for a company that must deliver breakthrough therapies to justify its existence and its burn rate. Their focus is on gene control therapeutics, which means they are trying to regulate gene activity to address the fundamental causes of a disease. That's a bold, capital-intensive vision.

The financial reality underpinning this vision is critical. As of the end of the 2024 fiscal year, the company had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of approximately $89.7 million. Here's the quick math: with a net loss of $74.1 million in 2024, that cash position was expected to fund operations only into the third quarter of 2025. That's a tight, near-term deadline for a long-term vision. They're running a marathon with a sprint budget.

To understand the full context of their strategic direction, you can read more about their history and business model: Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SYRS): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money.

Advancing New Standards of Care: The Vision

The core of the Syros Pharmaceuticals vision is to redefine treatment for diseases like acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). They are focused on developing Tamibarotene, a selective retinoic acid receptor alpha (RAR$\alpha$) agonist, which is a key component of their strategy. This drug is aimed at a genomically defined subset of patients, which is the very definition of precision medicine-targeting the right drug to the right patient. This focus is a smart, albeit risky, strategy in the biopharma world. It's all about finding a niche where the unmet need is highest and the potential for a significant patient benefit is clearest.

Their pipeline is a direct reflection of this vision. For example, Tamibarotene is in a Phase 3 clinical trial for a subset of MDS patients. Still, the company is facing significant financial challenges, including a voluntary delisting from the Nasdaq in March 2025, which complicates their ability to raise the substantial additional capital needed. This means the vision must be executed with defintely more financial discipline than ever before.

Harnessing Gene Control: The Mission

Syros Pharmaceuticals' mission is to revolutionize treatment by harnessing the power of gene control. This means moving beyond just treating symptoms to regulating the expression of genes that drive the disease. Their mission is a commitment to discovering and developing medicines that offer significant benefits to patients suffering from severe and underserved diseases. The mission is directly tied to their Research and Development (R&D) spending, which was a substantial $65.8 million for the 2024 fiscal year. This high R&D spend, compared to their total revenue of only $8.7 million in 2024, shows a company heavily invested in its core mission, even as it burns through capital.

The mission is executed through their pipeline, which also includes SY-2101 for acute promyelocytic leukemia and SY-5609 for select advanced solid tumors. The high R&D expense is the cost of pursuing this mission. It's a clear signal to investors and stakeholders that their priority is scientific advancement, not near-term profitability. But, honestly, that R&D spending is a double-edged sword when your cash runway is projected only into Q3 2025. You have to hope that R&D investment pays off fast.

Guiding Principles: Core Values in Action

The company's core values-Innovation, Patient Focus, Integrity, and Collaboration-guide their strategic decisions, especially during challenging times. These aren't just posters on a wall; they are the framework for managing risk and opportunity in a demanding sector.

• Innovation: Pioneer new approaches in gene control and drug development.
• Patient Focus: Prioritize patient needs to significantly improve their lives.
• Integrity: Maintain high ethical standards in all activities.
• Collaboration: Foster partnerships to advance the mission.

Collaboration is particularly important right now. Syros Pharmaceuticals has a program with Takeda, focusing on developing therapies for immune-mediated diseases. This kind of partnership is a critical part of the 'Collaboration' value, as it helps offset the massive R&D costs and extends their financial runway. Given their financial constraints, securing more of these deals, or additional funding, is the most concrete action tied to their core values in the near term. The values are the lens through which they must now make difficult capital allocation decisions.

Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SYRS) Core Values

You're looking at Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SYRS) and trying to map their stated values against their current, highly volatile reality. Honestly, it's a tough read right now. The company is navigating a massive restructuring following the SELECT-MDS-1 Phase 3 trial setback in late 2024, which led to a 94% workforce reduction and a loan default of approximately $43.7 million with Oxford Finance LLC. But even in this environment, their core values-Innovation, Patient Focus, Integrity, and Collaboration-show you where their remaining capital and focus are directed.

I've spent two decades analyzing companies like this, and what matters most isn't the mission statement on the wall; it's the action taken when cash is tight. With a cash position of just $58.3 million as of September 30, 2024, expected to fund operations only into the third quarter of 2025, every move is a high-stakes bet. Here's how they're trying to live their values now.

Innovation

Innovation at Syros Pharmaceuticals means pioneering a new class of medicines focused on gene control therapeutics, not just traditional drug targets. This is a high-risk, high-reward strategy. The company's core platform is built on identifying and modulating the regulatory genome-the non-coding DNA that controls whether a gene is turned on, off, up, or down. They believe this approach can address diseases that have defintely eluded other genomics-based methods.

The concrete action here is the strategic decision to focus resources. After the major trial failure, the company's path forward is streamlined to a few key assets. For example, they are exploring business development opportunities for the CDK7 inhibitor asset, 5609, which is in a Phase 1 clinical trial for select advanced solid tumors. This is a pivot, not a surrender, and it shows a commitment to the most promising science, even after a significant setback. You have to be ruthless with capital when your full-year 2025 net loss is forecasted to be around $40.2 million.

• Focus on regulatory genome to find new targets.
• Prioritize high-potential assets like the CDK7 inhibitor.
• Keep the science pure, even when the market is punishing.

Patient Focus

The company's patient focus is directly tied to their precision medicine approach. They aren't developing a drug for a broad population; they are targeting genomically defined subsets of patients who have high unmet medical needs. Their lead program, Tamibarotene, was developed specifically for higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (HR-MDS) patients who have RARA gene overexpression, a subset representing about 50 percent of the HR-MDS population.

While the SELECT-MDS-1 Phase 3 trial did not meet its primary endpoint in November 2024, the initial data from the SELECT-AML-1 Phase 2 trial for Tamibarotene in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients showed a 100% Complete Response/Complete Response with Incomplete Hematologic Recovery (CR/CRi) rate and a favorable tolerability profile. This early, positive signal in a disease with few good options is a powerful demonstration of their patient-centric goal: to provide a profound and durable benefit. The entire gene control platform starts and ends with identifying which patients will benefit most.

Integrity

For a biotech company, integrity is about transparency in clinical data and compliance with regulatory bodies, especially when things go wrong. Syros Pharmaceuticals' actions in late 2024 and early 2025, while financially devastating, illustrate a painful commitment to this value. Following the Phase 3 trial failure, the company immediately disclosed the results, which triggered a default on their loan obligations. They then announced a massive, painful restructuring and the voluntary delisting from the Nasdaq Stock Market, expected around March 20, 2025, due to compliance issues like falling below the minimum market value.

Here's the quick math on the financial fallout: They reported a net loss of $6.4 million in Q3 2024. The subsequent corporate actions-terminating the collaboration agreement with QIAGEN and enacting the 94% workforce reduction-were direct, immediate responses to the data, demonstrating a commitment to ethical financial stewardship of the remaining capital, even at the cost of public market presence. They chose to face the music and restructure, rather than obfuscate the data or the financial reality. For more on the company's operational history, you can read Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SYRS): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money.

Collaboration

In the biopharma world, collaboration is a necessity, not a luxury. Syros Pharmaceuticals has historically fostered partnerships with researchers and other companies to advance its mission. While the termination of the Pfizer collaboration was a major blow, the company still generated $7.5 million in collaboration revenue from its TYK2 program in 2024.

The most recent and telling example of this value in action is the February 2025 acquisition of the Tamibarotene-related assets by Rege Nephro. Instead of letting the program die after the HR-MDS trial failure, Syros Pharmaceuticals leveraged a partnership to sell the assets, allowing Tamibarotene to continue development in a different indication-autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD)-under a new owner. This move secures the continued development of a gene control asset, upholding the spirit of their mission by finding a new path for the science to reach patients, even if it's no longer under the Syros Pharmaceuticals umbrella.