dark-genome
(2)
HERVolution Therapeutics
HERVolution Therapeutics is a Copenhagen-based biotechnology company developing immunotherapies that target human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) - dormant remnants of ancient viruses embedded in human DNA that can reactivate with age and disease. Formerly named InProTher, the company has engineered a proprietary platform that redesigns these 'dark genome' antigens to break immune tolerance, making them visible to the immune system for the first time. Its off-the-shelf vector-based pipeline, led by IPT-001, aims to treat cancer, metabolic disease, and other diseases of aging.
HAYA Therapeutics
HAYA Therapeutics is a clinical-stage precision medicines company spun out of Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) in 2019. It develops RNA-guided programmable therapeutics that target long non-coding RNAs in the so-called 'dark genome' - the roughly 98% of human DNA that does not code for proteins - to reprogram disease-driving cell states. Its lead candidate, HTX-001, is an antisense oligonucleotide targeting the cardiac lncRNA Wisper for heart failure, with a broader pipeline spanning fibrosis, metabolic disease and cancer. The company is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, with US laboratory operations in San Diego, and raised a $65M Series A in May 2025.