Haya raises $65m in Series A for heart failure treatment progress

Haya Therapeutics has successfully secured $65 million in Series A funding aimed at accelerating the clinical trials and development of HTX-001, a promising treatment for heart failure. The financing round was led by Earlybird Venture Capital and Sofinnova Partners, with additional contributions from notable investors including Eli Lilly, +ND Capital, ATHOS, LifeLink Ventures, and Alexandria Venture Investments. Furthermore, existing stakeholders such as Apollo Health Ventures, BERNINA Bioinvest, and 4see ventures also participated in this round of funding, underscoring their continued support for Haya's innovative endeavors.

The fresh influx of capital is set to advance Haya's clinical trials for HTX-001, focusing initially on non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (nHCM), a condition that currently lacks effective treatments. This initiative is part of Haya's broader strategy to harness the potential of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in developing new therapies for complex diseases. Alongside this, Haya intends to expand its RNA-guided regulatory genome pipeline, diversifying its therapeutic offerings to tackle a range of conditions such as obesity, age-related diseases, and pulmonary fibrosis.

Haya Therapeutics' CEO and co-founder, Samir Ounzain, expressed enthusiasm about the funding, highlighting how it validates the company's pioneering approach in treating chronic and complex diseases. Haya is driven by a vision to create a new class of therapies that can transform disease-driving cell states into healthy ones. Ounzain emphasized the significance of the support from Sofinnova Partners, Earlybird, and others who recognize the potential of Haya's platform to revolutionize the industry by targeting the regulatory genome, sometimes referred to as the "dark genome."

The core innovation at Haya revolves around mapping and decoding the regulatory genome, which makes up 98% of the human genetic material. By integrating multimodal functional genomics with advanced computational and machine learning tools, Haya has developed a comprehensive atlas of this genome. This technological platform supports the development of RNA-guided therapies, promising greater scalability and rapid progress in therapeutic development.

Haya Therapeutics' strategic approach is to go beyond mere symptom management by directly reprogramming the cellular mechanisms driving diseases. This method represents a significant departure from traditional therapeutic approaches, leveraging newly identified targets within the regulatory genome to develop treatments that address the root causes of diseases.

In a noteworthy collaboration, Haya Therapeutics previously entered into a partnership with Eli Lilly valued at $1 billion. This collaboration aims to identify multiple RNA-based drug targets derived from the regulatory genome, with a particular focus on obesity. This partnership reflects the broader industry recognition of Haya's innovative work and its potential to uncover new therapeutic horizons.

With the latest funding, Haya is poised to make significant strides in the clinical development of HTX-001 and further enhance its platform, potentially transforming the landscape of treatment for several complex diseases. The company is committed to driving forward the next generation of therapies that hold the promise of significantly improving patient outcomes by reprogramming disease at the cellular level. As Haya continues to push the boundaries of genetic research and therapeutic development, it remains at the forefront of innovative solutions for some of the most challenging conditions facing the medical community today.