Fixing fibrosis

The combination of new mechanistic insights into how to modulate IPF and regulatory clarity around the disease convinced Third Rock Ventures to form a company focused on therapeutics that can halt and reverse fibrosis. The result was last week's debut of Pliant Therapeutics Inc., which raised $45 million in a series A round from the firm.

Pliant is based on the discoveries of four researchers at the University of California San Francisco. The lead program is a first-in-class small molecule inhibitor of integrin alpha(V)beta(1) (CD51/CD29). ...