Oorja Bio Raises $30M in Series A Funding Led by Westlake BioPartners

The company plans to use the funds to advance the clinical development of ORJ-001, a new treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and to build additional therapies for fibrosis-related diseases and for heart and lung function.

ORJ-001 is a first-in-class treatment being developed for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). In healthy volunteer studies, the therapy demonstrated promising drug exposure and was well-tolerated.

The company also presented preclinical data showing that ORJ-001 achieved sustained activity in lung tissue and elicited biomarker responses in a bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis model. The findings were presented in two posters at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2026 International Conference held in Orlando, Florida.

ORJ-001 is a peptide-based therapy administered by subcutaneous injection and is being developed to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The treatment works by restoring the function of alveolar epithelial type 2 (AEC2) cells, helping repair lung tissue and reducing inflammation and scarring associated with pulmonary fibrosis. Oorja Bio plans to begin a Phase 2 clinical trial for ORJ-001 in IPF patients later this year.

The Phase 2 program is supported by several preclinical studies using the widely accepted bleomycin model of pulmonary fibrosis, which showed the effectiveness of ORJ-001 at different dose levels. Laboratory studies using human lung cells also showed strong target activity at levels similar to those reached in Phase 1 clinical studies.

The Phase 1 program included two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies conducted at a single center. The studies tested single, and multiple ascending doses of ORJ-001, administered daily or weekly by subcutaneous injection, across 8 cohorts involving 64 healthy adult volunteers.

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“The clinical and preclinical results from our studies to date give us confidence that ORJ-001 represents a novel treatment approach with the potential to repair and reverse fibrosis and modify disease progression in IPF,” said Janethe Pena, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Oorja Bio. “Our preclinical results support ORJ-001’s AEC2-targeting mechanism and its disease-modifying potential in IPF. In preclinical models, ORJ-001 showed a reversal of fibrosis and induced re-epithelialization of the alveoli, showing significantly better results than comparative treatments, nintedanib or pirfenidone.”

About Oorja Bio

Founded in 2023, by Sujay Kango, Janethe de Oliveira Pena, and Connie Coulomb, Oorja Bio is a clinical stage biotech company developing new treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and other fibrotic, and cardiopulmonary diseases. Its lead drug, ORJ-001, is designed to restore alveolar epithelial type 2 (AEC2) cell function, helping repair lung tissue and reduce fibrosis.

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