Shares of Salarius Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:SLRX) climbed 11.7% in premarket trading on Wednesday after the company said it will rebrand as Decoy Therapeutics Inc. and begin trading under the new ticker symbol “DCOY” from January 8, 2026.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts–based group said the name change underscores a strategic pivot toward the development of peptide-conjugate therapeutics, initially targeting viral diseases and oncology. The company emphasized that the rebranding will not alter its share count, shareholder rights, or its existing management and operational structure.
Decoy Therapeutics is advancing a proprietary platform that combines peptide science with AI-enabled computational tools to speed up the identification and selection of drug candidates. Its lead antiviral programme has attracted interest from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) as well as global health organisations, which could create opportunities for non-dilutive funding and development collaborations.
Commenting on the move, Chief Executive Officer Rick Pierce said: “Changing our corporate name is another step in our transformation to developing the next generation of peptide-conjugate therapeutics, with an initial emphasis on high-priority viral and oncology targets.”
Looking ahead to 2026, the company said its priorities include pushing its lead antiviral programmes toward regulatory readiness, broadening discovery efforts across multiple platforms, and pursuing strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions.
Decoy’s initial pipeline focuses on pan-coronavirus activity and multi-viral threats such as influenza and RSV. Beyond antivirals, the company is also developing candidates aimed at broader respiratory threats and exploring novel G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) drug programmes.