Backed by Third Rock-led syndicate, MOMA seeks new ATP-powered targets by interrogating 'molecular machines'

Third Rock Ventures led a syndicate that invested $86 million in a series A round for MOMA Therapeutics, a newly launched start-up that will seek to interrogate a class of "molecular machines" that drive cellular processes and develop small molecules that modulate them.

The thinking is that by looking at stepwise changes in protein conformation, the company can examine intracellular mechanisms associated with disease states, discover targets through which those mechanisms' function can be disrupted, and develop new therapies, according to a blog post outlining MOMA Therapeutics Inc.'s goals at launch...