November 24, 2025 — Leads & Copy —
Dayra Therapeutics, a startup focused on developing oral macrocyclic peptides for serious diseases, has launched with over $70 million in committed funding. This includes a collaboration with Biogen Inc., providing $50 million in upfront capital, and an equity commitment from Versant Ventures.
Dayra Therapeutics emerged from Versant’s Frontier Discovery Engine spanning Toronto and Montreal. The Frontier Discovery Engine, similar to Versant’s U.S. and European-based engines, houses a team of scientists working in Canada to launch novel biotech companies. During the seed stage, Dayra Therapeutics made advances with molecules against immunology targets and other fields.
Versant venture partner and Dayra’s acting CEO, Rami Hannoush, Ph.D., said the field of macrocycles is at a new inflection point and is starting to deliver meaningful medicines. Hannoush added that Dayra has brought together insights and enablement from Versant’s Frontier Discovery Engine, leadership with macrocycle drug development expertise, and a collaboration with Biogen, which puts the company in a strong position.
Under the partnership, the companies will collaborate to identify, validate, and optimize oral macrocycle candidates for high-priority immunological targets. Biogen will advance the molecules through development and potential commercialization, including manufacturing.
Dayra will receive a $50 million payment, and Biogen has the option to acquire each development candidate for additional upfront and milestone payments per program.
Dayra CSO, Roger Palframan, Ph.D., said Biogen is an ideal partner for Dayra, bringing complementary capabilities and insights. Palframan added that the research team is looking forward to working in close collaboration to discover and deliver oral macrocycle therapies for immunology.
Versant Ventures is a healthcare venture capital firm committed to helping entrepreneurs build companies. The firm focuses on biotechnology companies that are discovering and developing novel therapeutics. Versant has $5.5 billion under management with offices in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Since 1999, over 100 Versant companies have had successful acquisitions or IPOs.
Dayra Therapeutics is pioneering the development of oral macrocyclic peptide therapeutics to treat a range of human diseases. The company combines its macrocycle discovery platform with computational design and modeling to advance novel macrocyclic peptides that selectively target disease-relevant proteins. Dayra was founded in 2024 by Versant Ventures through its Frontier Discovery Engine.
Contact:
Rami Hannoush, Ph.D., venture partner at Versant and Dayra’s acting CEO.
Source: Versant Ventures
