AllRock Bio, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on advancing therapies for cardiopulmonary and fibrotic diseases,  announced the close of a $50 million Series A financing round co-led by Versant Ventures and Westlake BioPartners. The proceeds will fund the continued development of the company’s lead program, ROC-101, a first-in-class, oral pan-rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor licensed exclusively from Sanofi, as it progresses into Phase 2 clinical trials.

ROC-101 is being developed for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (ILD-PH), two life-threatening conditions with five-year survival rates of 57 percent and 38 percent, respectively. Current treatment options are limited, and few disease-modifying therapies exist for these patient populations. By targeting both ROCK1 and ROCK2, ROC-101 has the potential to address the inflammatory, proliferative, and fibrotic remodeling that drives these diseases, offering patients a novel therapeutic option.

Topline results from the ROC-101 Phase 1 study demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile with no associated hypotension. These data will be presented at the upcoming European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Amsterdam in a poster entitled, “Results from a phase 1, randomized, double-blind, single and multiple ascending oral dose study characterizing the PK, safety, and target engagement of the Rho kinase 1 and 2 inhibitor ROC-101 in healthy volunteers.”

“AllRock was founded to develop therapies that address the underlying drivers of cardiopulmonary diseases rather than just alleviating symptoms,” said Catherine Pearce, DHSc, MBA, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of AllRock Bio. “In listening to clinicians and key opinion leaders, it became clear that a therapy capable of blocking both ROCK1 and ROCK2 could play an important role in advancing care for patients with PAH and ILD-PH. We are excited to bring ROC-101 into Phase 2 development, where it will be evaluated alongside standard-of-care therapies.”

AllRock’s Phase 2a ROCSTAR clinical trial is expected to begin in late 2025 and will assess ROC-101 in combination with existing therapies in patients with PAH and ILD-PH.

David Allison, PhD, Managing Director at Westlake BioPartners, commented: “We are pleased to support AllRock’s efforts to advance a therapy with transformative potential. Having partnered with members of this leadership team previously during the formation and success of CinCor Pharma, we are confident that their experience and expertise will drive meaningful progress for patients.”

Alicia Levey, PhD, Venture Partner at Versant Ventures and AllRock board member, added: “The strong safety profile ROC-101 has demonstrated in Phase 1 underscores the promise of pan-ROCK inhibition. We look forward to the company’s upcoming milestones, including Phase 2 readouts, and to watching its broader pipeline expand.”