Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. Announces Additions to Senior Management Team

New Hires Provide Depth and Experience in Key Functions

LEXINGTON, MA - January 23, 2007 - Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to treat severe medical conditions, today announced three appointments to its senior management team. Art McMahon has been named Vice President of Human Resources, Andrew Sonderfan has been appointed Vice President, Pre-clinical Safety Assessment and Rob Kloppenburg has joined the Company as Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications.

Prior to joining Synta, Art McMahon served as Senior Director of Human Resources for Cabot Corporation, a publicly traded specialty chemical company. From 1995 to 2001, Mr. McMahon was Vice President of Human Resources for Osprey Systems, Inc., a privately owned software and information technology services company. Mr. McMahon's past experience in the field of human resources also includes positions with Broadway and Seymour, Inc., Wang Laboratories, Inc. and Raytheon Company. Mr. McMahon earned his B.S. from North Carolina State University and his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.

Andrew J. Sonderfan, Ph.D., D.A.B.T. joined Synta as Vice President, Preclinical Safety Assessment in December 2006. Prior to joining the Company, Dr. Sonderfan spent five years at Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc., during which time he served as Senior Director, Toxicology and Safety Pharmacology. From 2000 to 2001, Dr. Sonderfan was the Director of Toxicology and Product Safety at BioChem Pharma (today, Shire Pharmaceutical Development Inc.). Dr. Sonderfan began his industry career at Syntex, Inc. as Nonclinical Leader, Palonosetron Program. Dr. Sonderfan earned his B.S. in Toxicology from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science (today, the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia) and his Ph.D. in Toxicology from the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Robert Kloppenburg joins Synta as Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communication. From October 2003 to November 2006, Mr. Kloppenburg was Senior Vice President and head of the Boston Life Sciences practice of Fleishman-Hillard, Inc., a strategic communications company. Mr. Kloppenburg was Senior Director of Corporate Communications with Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from 2001 to 2003. From 1995 to 2001, he held increasingly senior roles in communications and public affairs at Bayer Corp., first in Canada and later in the North American Pharmaceutical Division headquarters in West Haven, Connecticut. Mr. Kloppenburg currently is a member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Healthcare Communications. Mr. Kloppenburg received his B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.

About Synta Pharmaceuticals

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to extend and enhance the lives of patients with severe medical conditions, including cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases. Synta has a unique chemical compound library, an integrated discovery engine, and a diverse pipeline of clinical- and preclinical-stage drug candidates with distinct mechanisms of action and novel chemical structures. All Synta drug candidates were discovered and developed internally. For more information, please see www.syntapharma.com