Roca Therapeutics Created in Nice in 2021. It results from the work of four researchers from the Nice Cancer and Aging Research Institute (IRCAN) and the Nice Institute of Chemistry (ICN), who worked more than 10 years to understand the mechanisms of resistance to treatments in cancers, and more precisely in a very aggressive cancer, uveal melanoma (eye cancer). From their research, a patented molecule, RCT001, was born in 2019, then the biotech Roca Therapeutics in 2021.
In 2022, the company has made a seed round led by 3B Future Fonds Avenir Santé II and SATT Sud-Est in order to continue their research to transform RCT001 (metastatic uveal melanoma) into a potential drug.
Uveal melanoma is a rare disease with a very high medical need. To date, there is only one temporarily effective treatment to treat metastatic uveal melanoma, a disease that is fatal in less than two years. The company's strategy is to position RCT001 on cancers where the therapeutic target is very present and contributes to the aggressiveness of the disease. “RCT001 should be effective on metastatic uveal melanoma but also on head and neck cancers and kidney cancers”, according to Maeva Dufies, co-founder and CEO of Roca Therapeutics.
Roca Therapeutics has uniquely designed innovative small molecules addressing dedicated pathobiological mechanisms (M2 macrophage-induced immunosuppression and resistant angiogenesis) recently linked to indications such as uveal melanoma as well as renal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
Roca Therapeutics is also developing other potential drugs, including RCT002 for the treatment of neovascular glaucoma associated with uveal melanoma.
Roca Therapeutics has received grants and non-dilutive funding from the BPI (Public Investment Bank), the UCA (Université Côte d'Azur), Eurobiomed Grand Sud (competitiveness cluster), the PACA-Est Incubator, the Metropolis of Nice, and Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur Regional Council.
Even before its creation, Roca Therapeutics was supported by the Paca-Est incubator and financially supported by the University of Côte d'Azur and the Cancéropôle PACA. In total, the startup raised €3.6M thanks to various private financing (fundraising, 3B Future) and public whether it is a co-maturation of the SATT Sud-Est, or the French Tech Émergence scholarship from Bpifrance.
The company was also a winner of the iLab 2021 competition (award for projects to create innovative technology companies), the Future Investment Program (PIA) 3 and DeepTech Development Assistance (ADD) funding from Bpifrance.
Roca Therapeutics has a collaboration contract with the CNRS from which the co-founders come and whose patents it uses and has around ten employees.