US-based cancer and autoimmune disease drug developer Rome Therapeutics closed a $77m series B round on Tuesday featuring investment subsidiaries of corporates Sanofi, Mass General Brigham, Alphabet and Alexandria Real Estate Equities.
Venture capital fund Section 32 led the round, which also drew in investment from Casdin Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and Arch Venture Partners.
Pharmaceutical firm Sanofi, healthcare provider Mass General Brigham, internet and technology group Alphabet and life sciences real estate investment trust Alexandria Real Estate Equities were represented by Sanofi Ventures, Mass General Brigham Ventures, GV and Alexandria Venture Investments, respectively.
Founded in 2020 and incubated at GV, Rome is developing therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases by leveraging the repeatome — a part of the genome comprised of repetitive sequences of nucleic acids.
Rome will use the series B proceeds to advance its lead candidates into clinical development, expand its pipeline and improve its repeatomics platform.
Jim Trenkle, head of investments at Sanofi Ventures, will join Rome’s board of directors alongside Section 32 managing partner Steven Kafka.
Mass General Brigham Ventures, GV and Arch Venture Partners took part in a $50m series A round in April 2020. At the time, Mass General Brigham was still known as Partners Healthcare, with its venture unit called Partners Innovation Fund.