The tRNA biotech is closing “following careful consideration of potential paths forward and strategic factors,” CEO Leslie Williams said. (Michael Edwards/GettyImages)
HC Bioscience is shutting down after conducting preclinical models for a transfer RNA (tRNA) asset designed to treat hemophilia A.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech is closing “following careful consideration of potential paths forward and strategic factors,” HC CEO and cofounder Leslie Williams said in an emailed statement to Fierce Biotech.
The company declined to respond when asked if the company was trying to sell off its science or how many employees would be impacted by the shutdown.
“After completing key animal studies for our hemophilia A program utilizing tRNA-based technology, we conducted a thorough assessment of the data,” Williams said. “Given the challenges in targeted delivery and other factors, we made the difficult decision to discontinue development of the program.”
Precisely delivering tRNA to the target is a large obstacle in the field. Another biotech in the same field is Flagship’s Alltrna, which was unveiled just months before HC. Alltrna launched with $50 million in 2021 and has yet to enter clinical trials, according to its website.
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In 2022, HC raised a $24 million series A, with backing from Takeda Ventures, Arch Venture Partners and 8VC. The money was designed to fuel the biotech’s mission of ushering in “a new era of protein engineering with tRNA therapeutics” via two platforms.
“We are creating medicines to restore protein function to its intended state without editing genes,” Williams said in a 2022 release. “A single tRNA therapy has the potential to treat many diseases regardless of the gene or location of the mutation.”
In early 2023, HC acquired 4SR Biosciences for an undisclosed amount, bringing on 4SR’s sequencing technology to further bolster its candidate-finding platform.
The company’s lead program was targeting severe hemophilia A, with other early-stage candidates taking aim at Duchenne muscular dystrophy and cancer, according to HC’s website.
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HC’s closure appears abrupt, with the biotech sharing on LinkedIn a photo of employees participating in a rare disease awareness walk just two weeks ago.
“While this outcome is deeply disappointing, we are incredibly proud of the progress we made in advancing tRNA science and exploring its potential to impact patients’ lives,” CEO Williams said.
Williams previously served as CEO and co-founder of ImmusanT, another Arch Venture Partners-backed biotech. The company stopped a phase 2 trial of its celiac disease program in June 2019 after an interim analysis. ImmusanT then went dark, removing its website and Williams exited in December 2019, according to her LinkedIn.
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HC is not the first (or even the second) biotech to fold in recent times. Since 2025 began, at least four other biotechs—Spotlight Therapeutics, Kojin Therapeutics, Viracta Therapeutics and Velia Therapeutics—have closed their doors.
