ROCA Therapeutics
medicinal chemistry

First-in-Class Medicines against Uveal Melanoma and its Neovascular complications

« First-in-Class Drugs against ocular diseases driven by hyper-vascularization and immuno-suppressive inflammation »

A united team creating an innovative therapy to give a new vision to patients.

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About us

Roca Therapeutics is a VC financed biotechnology start-up dedicated to the development of First In Class Small molecules.

Located in Nice (France), Roca Therapeutics is a spin-off from Nice University and SATT Sud Est, incubated by the PACA-Est incubator.
Roca has an internationally recognized team of Directors and Advisors with a strong track record of Translational Research and Drug Development in Oncology, Ophtalmology and Immunology.

Directors

with recognized track record and well established collaborations

Founding Team - hexagons background
Dr Roberto De Ponti

Dr Roberto De Ponti

Director Board Member

Managing Director and General

Partner of 3B FUTURE Health Fund

30+ years of experience as senior director in pharmaceutical companies

Dr Gilles Pagès

Dr Gilles Pagès

Director Board Member

DR1 INSERM

IRCAN - UCA, Monaco

30+ years experience in oncology R&D and translational research

Dr Maeva Dufies

Dr Maeva Dufies

CEO - Director Board Member

CR2 CNRS

IRCAN - UCA, Nice, France

10+ years of experience in Oncology R&D
and translational research

Dr Rachid Benhida

Dr Rachid Benhida

Director Board Member

DR1 CNRS

ICN - UCA, Nice, France

30+ years of experience in drug R&D and biotech

Dr Cyril Ronco

Dr Cyril Ronco

Director Board Member

Maître de Conférences HDR

ICN - UCA, Nice, France

15+ years of experience in Medicinal Chemistry and drug R&D

Mr Zaki Sellam

Mr Zaki Sellam

Chairman of the Board of Directors

MSc - MBA, Basel, Switzerland

20+ years in drug development in oncology-immunology, creation and financing of biotech start-ups

Advisory Board

Dr Lauris Gastaud

Dr Lauris Gastaud

Oncologist 

Centre Antoine Lacassagne

Nice, France

Specialist in uveal melanoma

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Dr Sergio Roman Roman

Research Director

Institut Curie

Paris, France

Specialist in uveal melanoma

Dr Sergio Roman Roman
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programs table
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Dr Olivier Loget

Dr Olivier Loget

CEO and Chairman

CapEval Pharma

Archamps, France

Specialist in toxicology, clinical ophthalmology and biotech

Pr Stéphanie Baillif

Head of department of Ophthalmology

CHU de Nice, France

Specialist in eye diseases including uveal melanoma

Pr Stéphanie Baillif

Roca is building a dedicated Advisory Board allowing an approach against UM from biology to cancer and ocular complications

Dr Arnaud Jacquel

Dr Arnaud Jacquel

Researcher

Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire, Nice, France

Specialist in onco-hematology 

and innate immunity

Dr Patrick Auberger

Research Director

Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire, Nice, France

Specialist in onco-hematology and innate immunity

Dr Patrick Auberger
Dr Andréas Bikfalvi

Dr Andréas Bikfalvi

Research Director

Inserm - ACML

Bordeaux, France

Specialist in physiological and pathological angiogenesis

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Science & Pipeline

Science

The historical investigators i.e Dr Gilles Pagès, Dr Maeva Dufies, Dr Cyril Ronco and Dr Rachid Benhida have combined their expertise for the last 10 years in Medicinal Chemistry and Oncology/Immunology Translational research to build a promising portfolio of patent protected First In Class molecules able to address exacerbated/resistant mechanisms of angiogenesis, chronic immunosuppressive inflammation in the context of neoplastic and neovascular disorders. 


Roca Therapeutics approach is to be a holistic disease driven company addressing not only Uveal melanoma from a cancer treatment perspective but also addressing its severely impairing neovascular glaucoma resulting from proton-therapy.


Aware of the promising potential around its portfolio, Roca is also evaluating other neoplastic and neovascular disorders as secondary indications.

Pipeline

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Programs

Lead optimisation

IND enabling studies

Clinical

Goal

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Metastasic Uveal Melanoma

RCT001

Treatment of primary and metastatic form of Uveal Melanoma

Treatment and prevention of the neovascular comp-lications after proton therapy such as glau-coma and retinopathy

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Neovascular Complications

RCT002

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News & Events

Awards / Investments

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2020

2022

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investments
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incubateur PACA-Est

Incubation 

3B

Secured Lead investor 3B FUTURE Health Fund

SATT Sud-Est

Global exclusive licence

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BPI France

FrenchTech Emergence

Eurobiomed

Competitivity pole

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SATT Sud-Est

Investment

Cancéropole PACA

funding

Canceropole PACA
i-Lab

Innovation Award

i-Lab

Innovation Award

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ROCA Therapeutics

Incorporation 

PIA3

PIA3 

Award

Roca Therapeutics is surrounded by several local and national strategic partners: IRCAN, ICN, Centre Antoine Lacassagne, CNRS, University Côte d’Azur, SATT Sud-Est, Canceropole PACA, Incubator Paca-Est, Eurobiomed, …

Roca Therapeutics has been rewarded by recognized prizes: i-Lab, bpifrance BFTE, PIA3, Amgen Prize, …

Roca Therapeutics is founded by a lead corporate VC and has been backed by several non-dilutive financings.
In October 2022, Roca Therapeutics completes seed funding round.

Partners

Deeptech
3B future health fund
CHU Nice
Centre Antoine Lacassagne
Incubateur PACA-Est
BPI France
SATT Sud-Est
ICN
UCA
i-Lab
cnrs
IRCAN
inserm
Métropole Nice CA
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Contact

www.roca-therapeutics.org

ROCA Therapeutics
thank you

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