Cambridge, UK, 16 February 2026: Harness Therapeutics (‘Harness’), a biotechnology company unlocking previously undruggable targets to transform the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, today announces the nomination of HRN001 as its lead drug candidate for Huntington's disease and the formation of a clinical advisory board to support the programme's advancement towards clinical evaluation.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a devastating, inherited neurodegenerative disorder that leads to progressive cognitive, psychiatric and motor decline, with death often occurring within 15 years of symptom onset. Despite significant advances in understanding HD disease biology, there are currently no approved disease-modifying treatments available.

HD is caused by the expansion of CAG repeats in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. Ongoing somatic expansion of these repeats is now recognised as a key driver of disease onset and progression. FAN1 nuclease has emerged as one of the most compelling targets to suppress somatic expansion, demonstrating the strongest genetic association to disease onset in genome-wide association studies.

Our first-in-class candidate HRN001 is a potent and specific antisense oligonucleotide targeting FAN1, designed to drive controlled upregulation of this key DNA repair nuclease. It leverages Harness' proprietary MISBA® (microRNA site blocking ASO) platform, which enables precise upregulation of target protein levels without risk of over-expression.

HRN001 has demonstrated robust upregulation of FAN1 and slowing of somatic expansion in models of HD, as well as favourable PK and tolerability characteristics. Preclinical development will continue throughout 2026 to support clinical entry in 2027. Harness is exploring the potential of the MISBA® platform in other triplet repeat disorders and across a broader pipeline of neurodegenerative disorders.

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