Biotech startup Strand Therapeutics secured $153 million in Series B funding to advance its programmable mRNA therapeutics platform aimed at treating solid tumors. Founded on research from MIT, Strand’s lead candidate demonstrated safety and tumor shrinkage in an early-phase clinical trial, surprising even company scientists given patients’ prior treatment resistance. Backers include major venture capital firms and pharmaceutical companies like Regeneron, Amgen, and Eli Lilly, bringing total funding to $250 million and valuation near $550 million. The company plans regulatory submissions and hopes to market its first therapy by 2030, pushing forward the frontier of mRNA technology beyond vaccines, into cancer immunotherapy.