Lexington, MA — March 2, 2004 — Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., an emerging pharmaceutical company, today announced the appointments of Sir James Black, FRS, Judah Folkman, M.D., and Bruce Zetter, Ph.D. to the company's Scientific Advisory Board.

Dr. Black is recognized for his seminal work on the mechanisms of hormone receptor activation and inhibition. His research led to the discovery and introduction of the first beta-blocker, Inderal® (propranolol), for the treatment of angina and hypertension. Additionally, he discovered selective antagonists of histamine receptors in the stomach, leading to the marketing of the world's first billion-dollar drug, Tagamet® (cimetidine), for the treatment of ulcers. Dr. Black is currently Emeritus Professor of Analytical Pharmacology at King's College Hospital Medical School. Previously, he conducted research with ICI, SmithKline French, and Wellcome Laboratories. Dr. Black was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1989 for his work in pharmotherapeutic potential of receptor blocking drugs and was knighted by the Queen of England in 1981.

Dr. Folkman is Surgeon-in-Chief Emeritus and Director of the Vascular Biology Program at Boston Children's Hospital, and a Professor of both Pediatric Surgery and Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Folkman's founding research on the importance of angiogenesis to tumor formation led to what is now a major field of medicine and the development of angiogenesis inhibitors for treating a wide variety of cancers. Several of these therapeutics have recently demonstrated conclusive benefit in the clinic. Dr. Folkman was also an early pioneer in drug delivery technology, cardiac pacemakers, and the technology behind a widely used implantable contraceptive. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Folkman has received numerous honorary degrees and awards, including The Franklin Institute's 2001 Benjamin Franklin Award in Life Science, the 1998 Keio University (Tokyo) Medical Science Prize, and the 1997 Charles S. Mott Prize of the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation.

Dr. Zetter is the Charles Nowiszewski Professor in the Departments of Cell Biology and Surgery at Harvard Medical School, and is Vice President for Research at Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Zetter is highly regarded internationally as a leader in the research of tumor progression, cancer diagnosis, cancer metastasis, and tumor angiogenesis. He has won numerous national and international awards for his work in the field of cancer research including a Faculty Research Award from the American Cancer Society and the prestigious MERIT award from the US National Cancer Institute. Dr. Zetter recently served as an expert witness for the United States Senate Cancer Coalition hearings in Washington, DC. He also serves on several grant review boards for public agencies, such as the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society, and serves on the editorial board of eight peer-reviewed journals.

"We are pleased and honored that such eminent scientists and clinicians have agreed to advise Synta on its drug discovery and development programs," stated Safi Bahcall, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Synta. "The collective wealth of experience from this distinguished group will be a great benefit to Synta, and to our current and future patients, as we advance our programs in the clinic."

About Synta

Synta Pharmaceuticals is an emerging pharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing breakthrough products for severe medical conditions. Synta has a diverse pipeline of small-molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and immune disorders, with its two most advanced products in Phase II clinical development. Synta developed as a buyout of the U.S. subsidiary of a large Japanese pharmaceutical company. As a result, Synta has an experienced and successful drug discovery team that has worked together for over ten years. All clinical candidates were developed by this team using Synta's chemistry-driven drug discovery platform. Synta fully owns all rights for all of its products. For more information, please see www.syntapharma.com.