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Pliant Therapeutics

Founded: 2016

Location: South SF, CA

Employee range: 50 - 200

Clinical stage: Clin2b

Therapy area: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Drug types: HEP, LNG, ONC, MUS

Lead product: PLN-74809 (bexotegrast)

Product link: https://pliantrx.com/pipeline/

Funding: $287.5M stock Jan 2023; $230M stock Jul 2022; $165M IPO Jun 2020; $100M C Feb 2020; $62M Jul 2018; $45M A Feb 2016

Investors: Novartis

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Short description:

Treatments for fibrotic diseases

Drug notes:

Also Clin2 primary sclerosing cholangitis; PLN-1474 Clin1 NASH fibrosis; PLN101325 Clin0 muscular dystrophies; undisclosed Clin0 solid tumors

Long description:

Pliant Therapeutics is understanding the molecular drivers of fibrotic diseases to identify safer and more effective therapies for patients. Fibrosis occurs when cells repair tissue damage through the formation of fibrotic scars, which when overactivated can cause irreparable damage and disease. TGF-β is a key driver of fibrosis that investigational therapies are targeting; however, it risks toxicity to a patient’s healthy tissues. Instead, Pliant is using their expertise in integrin biology, proteins downstream of TGF-β in the fibrosis cascade, to identify more selective therapies. Pliant is building a pipeline of integrin inhibitors using their screening platform, live fibrotic human tissue assays and biomarker assays. Their lead candidate, PLN-74809, is in clinical trials.