# NextRNA Therapeutics

> NextRNA Therapeutics was a Boston-based biotechnology company pioneering small-molecule drugs that target long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) - a vast, largely undrugged region of the genome that regulates gene expression. Built on the science of Dana-Farber's Carl Novina and led by co-founder and CEO Dominique Verhelle, the company developed a proprietary discovery engine to map disease-relevant lncRNA-protein interactions and drug them with selective small molecules across oncology and immunology. NextRNA raised roughly $56 million in seed and Series A financing and signed a collaboration with Bayer worth up to $547 million before winding down operations in August 2025 amid a difficult biotech market and a missed partnership milestone.

- **Founded:** 2020
- **Headquarters:** Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- **Founders:** Dominique Verhelle (Co-Founder, President & CEO), Carl Novina (Scientific Founder (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute))
- **Team size:** ~9-27 employees over its lifetime
- **Products:** lncRNA Target & Drug Discovery Engine, Oncology small-molecule program, Immunology small-molecule program
- **Notable:** Launched with roughly $56 million in combined seed and Series A financing in 2022., Built a proprietary discovery engine to systematically identify drug-relevant lncRNA-protein interactions., Signed a collaboration with Bayer worth up to $547 million in 2024 - validation from a major pharma for the lncRNA small-molecule approach.

## Products & services

- **lncRNA Target & Drug Discovery Engine** — A proprietary platform that systematically identifies disease-relevant long non-coding RNAs and their interacting RNA-binding proteins, then screens for selective small molecules that disrupt those RNA-protein interactions.
- **Oncology small-molecule program** — An early-stage program applying the platform to lncRNA-protein interactions implicated in cancer; one of two programs advanced under the Bayer collaboration.
- **Immunology small-molecule program** — A discovery-stage program targeting dysregulated lncRNA-protein interactions in immune-mediated disease.

## Achievements

- Launched with roughly $56 million in combined seed and Series A financing in 2022.
- Built a proprietary discovery engine to systematically identify drug-relevant lncRNA-protein interactions.
- Signed a collaboration with Bayer worth up to $547 million in 2024 - validation from a major pharma for the lncRNA small-molecule approach.
- Advanced small-molecule programs in both oncology and immunology.
- Helped legitimize long non-coding RNA as a small-molecule drug target class.

## Latest updates

- **2025-08** — NextRNA announced it would wind down operations, citing weak biotech market dynamics and a delayed Bayer milestone that would have extended its cash runway; Bayer said it would continue exploring the collaboration program independently.
- **2024-08** — Entered a strategic collaboration and license agreement with Bayer worth up to $547 million to develop lncRNA-targeting small molecules in oncology.
- **2022-08** — Named co-founder Dominique Verhelle as CEO and expanded its leadership team.
- **2022-03** — Emerged publicly with ~$56M in seed and Series A funding led by Cobro Ventures and Lightchain Capital.

## Links

- Website: https://nextrnatx.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nextrna-therapeutics

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nextrna-therapeutics
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-18