Participated · Series B · Sep 2023

ROME Therapeutics leverages a proprietary data science platform to identify functionally active repeat elements within the dark genome and translate those findings into therapeutics. Its lead program is an inhibitor of LINE-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) intended to block pathogenic inflammation in autoimmune diseases, including lupus. ROME plans to advance the LINE-1 RT inhibitor into early clinical trials, including Phase 1 studies to evaluate safety, dosing, and proof of mechanism. The company is progressing several additional first-in-class programs across autoimmune disease, cancer, and neurodegeneration informed by the same platform. ROME intends to use recent funds to advance its pipeline and further develop its platform, which also supports clinical trial design and patient selection. The company is based in Boston, Massachusetts. ROME Therapeutics has built a repeatomics data-science platform to analyze the repeatome (roughly 60% of the human genome) and identify druggable targets. The company has identified multiple repeatome-derived targets and is advancing several internal discovery programs. Its core focus is developing novel therapeutics for cancer and autoimmune diseases by leveraging insights from previously understudied repetitive genomic sequences. ROME says it is moving lead programs toward the clinic while expanding its pipeline and enhancing its repeatomics platform. The company launched in April 2020 and is based in Cambridge, Mass. Financially, ROME recently closed a Series B financing that strengthens its capitalization for near-term clinical and discovery activities. ROME Therapeutics develops novel therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases by harnessing the repeatome, the roughly 60% of the human genome made of repetitive sequences. The company has identified several promising drug targets and launched multiple discovery programs based on insights that viral-like repeat elements are activated in times of stress and may drive disease. ROME draws on expertise in oncology, virology, immunology and machine learning, and its founding intellectual property comes from Massachusetts General Hospital and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The company was incubated at GV and launched in April 2020. ROME announced $50 million in Series A funding from GV, ARCH Venture Partners and Partners Innovation Fund to advance its discovery programs. It has assembled a leadership team and scientific advisory board with deep drug discovery and translational experience to move its repeatome-based programs forward.