Eli Lilly’s hunt for obesity targets has led it to the dark genome. The Big Pharma has put together a deal worth up to $1 billion in biobucks to partner with Haya Therapeutics to find multiple regulatory-genome-derived RNA-based drug targets.
Once dismissed as “transcriptional noise” because they cannot encode proteins, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are now recognized as playing roles in the regulation of gene expression, cell proliferation and other biological processes. The shift in perceptions of what lncRNA does in the body has fueled interest in the therapeutic potential of the molecules.
That interest has expanded to obesity. Striving to maintain its early-mover advantage, Lilly has struck a series of deals that could spawn next-generation obesity drug candidates. Haya is the latest beneficiary of the Big Pharma’s appetite for the next big thing in weight management.
“Haya’s technology offers a new approach to addressing obesity and related metabolic conditions,” Haya CEO Samir Ounzain said in a Sept. 4 release. “By identifying disease-driving cell states and novel lncRNA therapeutic targets, Haya’s proprietary regulatory genome discovery platform may pave the way for the development of genetic medicine therapies that modify disease cell states, augmenting the efficacy of current obesity targeting therapies.”
Lilly is making an upfront payment, including an equity investment, of undisclosed size to get the deal up and running. Haya is in line to receive up to $1 billion in preclinical, clinical and commercial milestones tied to drug candidates that emerge from the collaboration. The agreement also features milestones on product sales.
In return for the outlay, Lilly has secured the chance to work with Haya to find targets that may address obesity and related metabolic conditions. Haya’s platform enables the identification of lncRNA targets that are specific to different tissues, diseases and cells. Hitting the targets could reprogram cell states.
Haya exited stealth with about $20 million to target lncRNAs to treat fibrosis and other aging-related serious medical conditions in 2021. The biotech was built on research such as a paper that found aiming antisense oligonucleotides at an lncRNA improved cardiac function in mice after a heart attack. However, while Haya initially focused on fibrosis, there is a body of evidence implicating lncRNAs in obesity.
Researchers have implicated a host of lncRNAs in the formation of fatty tissue, and the list continues to grow. One year ago, European researchers identified the lncRNA AATBC as an obesity‐linked regulator of fat cells.