Rock the Casma

The recent discovery of autophagy-inducing targets led Third Rock Ventures to launch Casma Therapeutics Inc. with a $58.5 million series A to develop therapeutics that promote autophagy and ameliorate cellular distress in inflammatory, neurodegenerative, muscular and lysosomal storage diseases.

Autophagy is a process that breaks down proteins or organelles in response to damage. Third Rock’s Bob Tepper said that in indications of interest to Casma, “the level of autophagy doesn’t necessarily keep up with the level required for clearance of some of those dangerous molecules,” which could lead to protein buildup that prevents cellular function and causes tissue damage. ...