Haya Therapeutics Raises $65M to Develop RNA Drugs Targeting the Dark Genome
Haya Therapeutics has raised $65 million in Series A financing to support development of therapies targeting long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a regulatory layer of the genome historically dismissed as "junk DNA". The company is focused on using lncRNAs to reprogram disease-associated cell states, with its lead program HTX-100 designed to suppress a target called Wisper implicated in cardiac fibrosis.
HTX-100 will be tested in non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition characterized by abnormal thickening of heart tissue without the left ventricular outflow blockage seen in the obstructive form. Bristol Myers Squibb's therapy for obstructive disease, Camzyos, failed in a trial for the non-obstructive variant, creating an opportunity for alternative approaches. Unlike contractility-modulating drugs, HTX-100 aims to reduce fibrosis by silencing Wisper, which is reportedly overexpressed in certain heart pathologies.
The round was co-led by Sofinnova Partners and Earlybird Venture Capital, with participation from Eli Lilly, Alexandria Venture Investments, and others. It follows a $25 million seed round and an obesity-focused partnership with Lilly announced in 2023. Funds will also advance earlier programs in pulmonary fibrosis and metabolic disease, and expand Haya's internal lncRNA mapping and drug discovery platform.
Haya’s strategy centers on constructing a proprietary atlas of the "dark genome" and developing RNA-guided therapeutics that modulate lncRNAs, with an emphasis on cell-type specificity and transcriptional control. The company has not yet begun clinical trials, but first-in-human testing is expected to begin soon.
