Targeting the growth factors that influence cell proliferation and differentiation in disease is a pretty “well-trodden” field, but Cambridge biotech Scholar Rock purports to take a new spin on the concept. It’s announced a $20 million Series A financing round, and plans to use the funds to move its preclinical work into clinical drug development.
Scholar Rock is developing a new class of biologics, called niche modulators, that selectively target growth factors that have become poorly regulated and cause fibrotic, musculoskeletal and autoimmune diseases. Its technology controls the activation of protein-based growth factors, influencing cell growth and differentiation. It’s focusing on the TGF-beta superfamily of growth factors.
CEO Nagesh Mahanthappa describes the process with a nice analogy: If you have all the lights on in your house, he says, and just one person wants to turn out the lights in a single bedroom – you’re not going to turn off the circuit breaker for the entire house. Just one switch.
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“That’s how our therapeutics are intended to work,” Mahanthappa said. “Growth factors have signaling all over the body – but we want to modulate them in a very specific location.”
Scholar Rock is hiring, Mahanthappa said, using the new financing in part to expand beyond its 11 employees. While it’s still got a ways to go before it progresses beyond the bench, the company plans to nominate its first clinical development candidates next year.
“That will put us on a clear trajectory to the clinic,” he said.
The company’s science comes from researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and it is collaborating with Johnson & Johnson Innovation and its affiliate, Janssen Biotech.
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A number of other companies also play in the TGF-beta sandbox, BioCentury points out – Genzyme, for instance, is developing a pan-specific human monoclonal antibody against the growth factor that treats a kidney failure precursor. Others include Acceleron Pharma, Digna Biotech and Gradalis.
New investor ARCH Venture Partners led the round, with founding investors Polaris Partners and Timothy Springer participating along with EcoR1 Capital and The Kraft Group.
