Recently, ROC ROCK Biotechnology, which focuses on macrophage-based drug therapies for solid tumors, has completed a Pre-A round of financing worth tens of millions of yuan. This round was led by Guozhu Capital, a management company under Ronghui Group, with continued additional investment from Deshi Capital. The funds will mainly be used for the IND application of the clinical pipeline RR-M01 and the construction of the delivery carrier production base at Rock Roc Biotechnology Co., Ltd in Qingdao.
ROC ROCK Biotechnology is a biotech company focused on the research, development, and production of macrophage-targeted drugs for solid tumors. The company is committed to advancing the industrialization of macrophage drugs in the field of targeted solid tumor therapies. With multiple pipelines in development, ROC ROCK concentrates on treatments for solid tumors, with indications covering 90% of solid tumor types. Its lead pipeline, RR-M01, is a third-generation chimeric antigen receptor macrophage drug independently developed for HER2-positive solid tumors. Indications for RR-M01 include recurrent and refractory solid tumors such as HER2-positive ovarian cancer, gastric cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, lung cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
ROC ROCK Biotechnology's independently developed third-generation CAR-M was conceptualized in 2010. Building on the original CAR, it incorporates essential cytokines needed for the autologous proliferation and activation of macrophages, enhancing the in vivo persistence of CAR-M, altering the tumor microenvironment, and further boosting the phagocytic, tumoricidal, and antigen-presenting capabilities of macrophages. In 2023, ROC ROCK Biotechnology, in collaboration with the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, launched an Investigator Initiated Trial (IIT) for the RR-M01 pipeline. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of CAR-M cell therapy in treating HER2-overexpressing recurrent and refractory ovarian cancer.
ROC ROCK Biotechnology's lead pipeline RR-M01 successfully entered the IIT clinical research stage in 2023. ROC ROCK Biotechnology will continue to focus on advancing the research, development, and application of CAR-M cell therapy, providing safer and more effective treatment options for patients with solid tumors, improving their quality of life and extending survival.
Dr. Yin Xiushan, Chairman of ROC ROCK Biotechnology, stated: This financing will help advance the company's key project pipelines clinically. The company will invest more energy and resources to accelerate the research and clinical application of CAR-M cell therapy technology. Since its inception, ROC ROCK has remained true to its original mission, shouldering the responsibility as a leader in the solid tumor treatment field, continuously increasing R&D investment, and concentrating top global scientific research capabilities to provide solid tumor treatment solutions as quickly as possible, offering safer and more effective treatment options for cancer patients across China and even globally. Currently, the third-generation Chimeric Antigen Receptor Macrophage (CAR-M) drug RR-M01 injection independently developed by ROC ROCK Biotechnology has achieved 100% localization of process technology, meeting national strategic requirements for biopharmaceutical enterprises. In April 2023, ROC ROCK completed the construction of its GMP production workshop, and within just six months successfully administered the first patient dose in the IIT project, marking ROC ROCK’s official entry into the clinical research phase.