ROME Therapeutics is developing therapies that target the activation of LINE-1 reverse transcriptase, a genomic element linked to inflammation and genomic instability in cancer and autoimmune diseases. By exploring the dark genome, ROME aims to unlock therapeutic opportunities that have been largely overlooked in traditional drug discovery.
Funding
$199M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Traditional drug discovery has largely overlooked the "dark genome," the 98% of the human genome consisting of repetitive elements and DNA outside of traditional protein-coding genes. These regions, particularly LINE-1 retrotransposons, are normally dormant but can become activated in diseased cells, driving inflammation and genomic instability. This activation has been linked to autoimmune diseases, cancer, neurodegeneration, and aging.
Solution
ROME Therapeutics is developing novel therapies that target the activation of LINE-1 reverse transcriptase, an enzyme produced by the LINE-1 genomic element. By focusing on the dark genome, ROME aims to create treatments for diseases driven by the activation of these normally dormant genomic regions. Their approach involves halting the LINE-1 lifecycle to prevent disease-driving inflammation and genomic instability. ROME has nominated a development candidate for autoimmune diseases and is advancing a pipeline of therapies informed by their data science platform and knowledge of repeat biology.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes patients suffering from autoimmune diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and age-related disorders, as well as the clinicians who treat them.
Features
- Inhibitors of LINE-1 reverse transcriptase, a protein produced by the virus-like genomic element LINE-1
- Therapies target the dark genome, specifically long stretches of DNA outside of the genes that encode traditional proteins
- Data science platform to generate insights into repeat biology
- Focus on halting the LINE-1 lifecycle to prevent disease-driving inflammation and genomic instability