Graviton Bioscience – a privately held clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on therapies that inhibit Rho/Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase 2 (ROCK2) – recently announced the completion of financing from Enavate Sciences, a portfolio company of Patient Square Capital. Enavate’s investment will help advance the clinical development of GV101 and Graviton’s pipeline of ROCK2 inhibitors to treat a range of serious fibrotic, inflammatory, and neurologic conditions.
This funding round represents the eighth portfolio investment Enavate has made in partner companies to date and follows Ovid Therapeutics’ investment as part of a collaboration with Graviton, announced in May 2023.
ROCK2 is an effector of the small GTPase Rho and belongs to the AGC family of kinases. And it is implicated in the pathology of multiple diseases, including metabolic, autoimmune, inflammatory, and neurologic disorders for which there is either inadequate or no treatment at all. Graviton’s team previously pioneered the development of Rezurock, the first approved ROCK2 inhibitor for graft vs. host disease.
Boylan has joined Graviton’s Board of Directors in connection with the financing.
KEY QUOTES:
“Enavate recognizes the enormous potential for novel ROCK2 therapies to treat severe medical conditions. Sam’s history of success and expertise in developing new treatments led us to make this commitment. We are looking forward to collaborating with our talented group of partners to advance these technologies.”
— James Boylan, Chief Executive Officer of Enavate Sciences
“Finding safe and effective treatments for conditions that currently have no cure is our priority. We believe the advancement and commercialization of ROCK2 inhibitors will lead to breakthrough medicines for a range of diseases. We are enthusiastic about the support from Enavate Sciences as our partners.”
— Samuel Waksal, Ph.D., CEO and founder of Graviton
