What Pliant Therapeutics does

Pliant Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in South San Francisco, California, developing integrin-based therapeutics for serious diseases with limited treatment options. The company's scientific foundation is a proprietary integrin drug discovery and delivery platform comprising a library of over 15,000 integrin binding molecules, comprehensive binding and internalization screening assays, and an industry-leading live human tissue program. Its lead clinical candidate is PLN-101095, an oral dual αvβ8/αvβ1 integrin inhibitor designed to block TGF-β activation in the tumor microenvironment and resensitize tumors to immune checkpoint inhibitors; this asset is being evaluated in the FORTIFY Phase 1b trial in combination with pembrolizumab for patients with ICI-refractory advanced or metastatic solid tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer, clear cell renal cell carcinoma, and high tumor mutational burden tumors. Prior lead asset bexotegrast (PLN-74809) for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis was discontinued following a Phase 3 failure, prompting a strategic pivot to oncology.

Pliant generates no product revenue and operates a clinical-development GTM motion centered on advancing candidates through regulatory milestones, presenting at medical conferences (ASCO, AACR, SITC, ERS, ATS), and engaging institutional investors and healthcare-focused investment banks (RBC Capital Markets, Oppenheimer, Piper Sandler). Patient recruitment for the FORTIFY trial is conducted through clinicaltrials.gov and direct site enrollment. Capital is raised via public equity offerings; the company has completed upsized public offerings of $200M (July 2022) and $250M (January 2023), and in March 2026 launched a $50M at-the-market equity program with Leerink Partners. As of Q4 2025, the company held $192.4M in cash and short-term investments, expected to fund operations into the second half of 2028, and reported a quarterly net loss of $23.6M with R&D expenses of $15.6M (down from $38.8M year-over-year following the IPF program wind-down). The company is listed on NASDAQ under ticker PLRX with approximately 97.3% institutional ownership, though shares trade near 52-week lows with a market capitalization of approximately $70-80M.

Name

Pliant Therapeutics

Legal name

Pliant Therapeutics, Inc.

Website

https://pliantrx.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical — integrin-based therapeutics

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI)

Keywords

• Integrin-based therapeutics
• Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical
• Fibrotic disease treatment
• Oncology drug development
• Tumor microenvironment therapy

Headquarters

HQ city

South San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Drug Development and Commercialization: As a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, Pliant is pre-revenue and does not currently have approved products. The company is developing PLN-101095 for solid tumors and bexotegrast (PLN-74809) for fibrotic diseases. Revenue will be generated upon regulatory approval and commercialization of drug candidates.
2. At-the-Market (ATM) Equity Program: Company launched a $50 million at-the-market equity program enabling sale of common stock through Leerink Partners as sales agent. This provides flexible capital access without traditional underwritten offering.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pliant Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing integrin-based therapeutics, with its lead candidate PLN-101095—an oral dual αvβ8/αvβ1 integrin inhibitor—currently in the FORTIFY Phase 1a/1b trial in combination with pembrolizumab for patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-refractory advanced or metastatic solid tumors. Discovery and development are powered by a proprietary Integrin Drug Delivery Platform built on over 15,000 integrin binding molecules, screening assays, and a live human tissue program. Prior fibrosis programs (bexotegrast/PLN-74809) were discontinued following Phase 3 failure.

Product overview

Pliant Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing integrin-based therapeutics. The company's lead product is PLN-101095, an oral dual αvβ8/αvβ1 integrin inhibitor currently in Phase 1a/1b clinical trials for solid tumors. This is being evaluated in the FORTIFY study in combination with pembrolizumab for patients whose cancers have become resistant to immune checkpoint inhibitors. The company leverages its proprietary Integrin Drug Delivery Platform—which includes over 15,000 integrin binding molecules and screening assay systems—to discover and develop additional targeted therapies. Prior programs included bexotegrast (PLN-74809) for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis, but these were discontinued following Phase 3 trial failure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FORTIFY: Phase 1b clinical study evaluating PLN-101095 in combination with pembrolizumab for the treatment of solid tumors.
• Integrin Drug Delivery Platform

Products and services

• PLN-101095 An oral dual αvβ8/αvβ1 integrin inhibitor being developed for the treatment of solid tumors. It is designed to overcome immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) resistance by blocking TGF-β activation in the tumor microenvironment, potentially resensitizing tumors refractory to checkpoint inhibitors such as pembrolizumab.
• Integrin Drug Delivery Platform A proprietary drug discovery and delivery platform comprising a library of over 15,000 integrin binding molecules, comprehensive screening assays for binding, integrin confirmation, and ligand-induced internalization, and a live human tissue program. The platform enables development of integrin-targeted therapies and supports tissue-specific drug delivery to muscle and adipose tissue.
• FORTIFY Study A Phase 1b clinical study evaluating PLN-101095 in combination with pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA) for adults with advanced or metastatic solid tumors that have become refractory to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Enrolling patients across NSCLC, clear cell renal cell carcinoma, and high tumor mutational burden tumor cohorts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 89% average maximum tumor reduction from baseline in responders
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC (MSD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPliant is conducting the FORTIFY Phase 1b trial evaluating PLN-101095 in combination with pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA), Merck's PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor, for patients with ICI-refractory advanced or metastatic solid tumors. Pembrolizumab is administered every 3 weeks during the combination treatment period.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Morphic Holding: Clinical-stage biotech developing oral integrin inhibitors for fibrosis, immunology, and metabolic disease. Directly comparable as a small-molecule integrin-targeted therapeutics company with a similar scientific thesis, though acquired by Eli Lilly in 2024, illustrating both the strategic value of the integrin space and the difficulty of independent commercialization.
• Arcus Biosciences: Clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing combinations to overcome or extend checkpoint inhibitor response, including adenosine and TIGIT pathways. Comparable to Pliant in targeting ICI resistance mechanisms and running checkpoint-inhibitor combination trials in similar tumor types.
• Scholar Rock: Clinical-stage biotech developing therapeutics that target TGF-β superfamily activation, including latent TGF-β. Comparable because Pliant's PLN-101095 works in the same TGF-β activation pathway via integrin blockade, and Scholar Rock's fibrosis and oncology programs parallel Pliant's historical and current pipeline focus.
• Compugen: Clinical-stage immuno-oncology company using computational target discovery to identify novel targets that modulate the tumor immune microenvironment. Comparable in clinical-stage status, oncology focus, and the strategy of finding first-in-class targets to combine with checkpoint inhibitors.
• Werewolf Therapeutics: Clinical-stage oncology company developing INDUKINE prodrugs designed to be activated in the tumor microenvironment to overcome the limitations of systemic immune activation. Comparable as a small, clinical-stage oncology platform player targeting the same problem of potentiating checkpoint inhibitor response.
• Pyxis Oncology: Clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing antibody-drug conjugates and immunotherapies, including programs intended to combine with or resensitize tumors to checkpoint inhibitors. Comparable as a small-cap clinical oncology company pursuing novel immuno-oncology combinations.
• Harpoon Therapeutics: Clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing T-cell engagers designed to overcome resistance and improve responses in solid tumors. Comparable as a clinical-stage peer combining novel immune mechanisms with checkpoint inhibition; acquired by Merck in 2024, signaling big-pharma appetite for the same clinical-stage oncology assets Pliant is developing.

Broad incumbents

• FibroGen: Commercial-stage biopharma with late-stage and marketed fibrosis assets, historically including IPF programs. Comparable given Pliant's prior IPF franchise with bexotegrast and its continuing PSC work, providing a read on competitive dynamics and commercial benchmarks in fibrotic disease.

Emerging players

• Adagene: Clinical-stage oncology company using a proprietary antibody discovery and engineering platform to generate conditionally active antibodies. Comparable as a platform-driven clinical-stage oncology peer with similar headcount and stage, focused on novel mechanisms to improve immuno-oncology outcomes.
• Adcendo: Clinical-stage biotech developing next-generation ADCs using an integrator/integrin-targeting linker concept. Comparable as an emerging player in the integrin-targeted oncology space, intersecting with Pliant's integrin biology expertise and platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/PliantRX
• Facebookfacebook.com/PliantRX
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/7606914

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors14 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pliant Therapeutics