In a recent press release, it was announced that HAYA Therapeutics raised $65 million in series A funding to advance the clinical development of its lead candidate HTX-001, which targets non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in heart failure.
HAYA Therapeutics’ drug for heart failure targets the dark genome, the part of the genome that does not code for proteins but plays an essential role in regulating gene expression. With this funding, the startup will initiate clinical trials with a genetic medicine treating non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a fibrosis that leads to a type of heart failure.
Approximately 98% of DNA in the human genome does not code for proteins. This DNA is typically referred to as junk DNA since scientists initially believed it had no function. However, research over the last decade uncovered that this non-coding DNA is involved in regulating gene expression, including disease states.
Samir Ounzain, Co-Founder and CEO of HAYA Therapeutics said: “This is a defining moment for HAYA as we are advancing our lead program into the clinic. This funding validates our organisation, pioneering approach and vision for improving the way chronic and complex diseases are treated by creating a new generation of therapies that reprogram disease-driving cell states into healthy ones.”
This substantial investment emphasises investor confidence in HAYA’s novel science and positions the company to deliver on its mission of bringing precision medicines more efficiently to patients. By targeting the dark genome, HAYA is moving beyond traditional therapeutics and into a new frontier of precision medicine by targeting disease at its epigenetic and cellular roots.