Bayer and Soufflé Aim to Silence Heart Disease with Precision siRNA

BERLIN & BOSTON – January 08, 2026 – In a strategic move that signals a deeper push into the next generation of cardiovascular medicine, pharmaceutical giant Bayer has announced a significant collaboration with Soufflé Therapeutics, an innovative Boston-based biotech. The partnership aims to develop a highly targeted therapy for a rare, genetic form of dilated cardiomyopathy, a severe condition that weakens and enlarges the heart muscle.

This global licensing agreement leverages Soufflé's proprietary technology to deliver small interfering RNA (siRNA) directly to heart muscle cells. The goal is to silence the specific gene responsible for the disease, representing a shift from managing symptoms to targeting the root cause of the illness. While financial details of the agreement were not disclosed, the collaboration marks a major validation for Soufflé's platform and a calculated expansion of Bayer's precision cardiology portfolio.

"We are excited to partner with Soufflé and begin exploring the field of siRNA, an innovative therapeutic modality that can potentially silence specific genes responsible for disease progression,” said Juergen Eckhardt, M.D., Head of Business Development and Licensing at Bayer Pharmaceuticals and Head of Leaps by Bayer. “This new collaboration allows us to expand our relationship with Soufflé, beyond our initial investment via Leaps by Bayer... further reinforcing our commitment to innovation and patients."

The Challenge of Silencing Heart Disease

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a formidable foe in cardiology, affecting an estimated 2.5 million people globally and standing as a leading cause of heart failure. The disease causes the heart's main pumping chamber, the left ventricle, to stretch and thin, impairing its ability to pump blood effectively. While causes can vary, a significant portion—up to 40% of cases—are linked to genetic mutations.

For decades, treatment has revolved around a cocktail of medications designed to ease the heart's workload and manage symptoms. Drugs like ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, and diuretics are standard of care, but they do not address the underlying genetic defects. For patients with advanced disease, the options become increasingly invasive and limited, culminating in the potential need for a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) or a full heart transplant.

This is where the promise of siRNA therapy comes in. This technology utilizes the body's natural RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. By designing a small piece of RNA that is a perfect match for the messenger RNA (mRNA) produced by a faulty gene, the therapy can effectively intercept and destroy the disease-causing instructions before they are translated into harmful proteins. In essence, it silences the gene without permanently altering the body's DNA.

A Precision Delivery System for the Heart

The primary obstacle that has historically limited the potential of siRNA and other nucleic acid therapies is delivery. These delicate molecules are difficult to transport through the bloodstream to a specific target tissue, like the heart, without being degraded or being taken up by the wrong cells, particularly in the liver. Non-specific delivery can lead to unwanted side effects and reduce the therapy's effectiveness.

Soufflé Therapeutics claims to have engineered a solution to this long-standing challenge. The company develops highly specific ligands—small molecules that act like molecular keys—which are designed to bind exclusively to receptors found on the surface of target cells. By attaching these ligands to their siRNA payload, they create a guided missile system for genetic medicine.

For the Bayer collaboration, Soufflé will leverage its expertise to design a therapy that specifically targets cardiomyocytes, the muscle cells of the heart. This precision aims to ensure the therapeutic dose reaches its intended destination, potentially allowing for lower and less frequent dosing while minimizing off-target effects.

“Delivery of nucleic acids to specific cells has been a long-standing challenge in the development of effective RNA therapies. At Soufflé, we engineer siRNA therapies that are cell-selective and delivered to their target with precision,” said Amir Nashat, Sc.D., Chief Executive Officer of Soufflé Therapeutics. “This collaboration brings together Bayer’s expertise in cardiovascular disease, with Soufflé’s proprietary integrated technologies, to develop a potential new option for patients facing a rare heart disease."

Bayer's Strategic Shift to Precision Cardiology

For Bayer, this partnership is more than just an addition to its pipeline; it is a clear indicator of its evolving R&D strategy. The company is actively moving to transform its market-leading cardiovascular portfolio toward 'precision cardiology,' focusing on treatments that target specific patient populations and disease mechanisms.

This strategy is underscored by the involvement of Leaps by Bayer, the company's strategic venture capital arm, which was an early investor in Soufflé. The new licensing agreement deepens this existing relationship, demonstrating Bayer's confidence in Soufflé's platform technology. This model—where a large pharmaceutical company first invests in, and later partners with, an agile biotech—has become a dominant trend in the industry, allowing established players to tap into cutting-edge innovation.

"Dilated cardiomyopathies represent a significant medical need, affecting many patients with limited treatment options," noted Andrea Haegebarth, Ph.D., Global Head of Research and Early Development for Cardiovascular, Renal, and Immunology at Bayer. "Our collaboration with Soufflé is a strategic step forward in addressing this challenge, as it will enhance our precision cardiology portfolio with an innovative siRNA technology."

Navigating a Competitive Genetic Frontier

The Bayer-Soufflé alliance enters a dynamic and competitive field of genetic medicine for heart disease. While siRNA delivery to the heart has been a high bar, other advanced modalities are also making progress. Gene-editing technologies like CRISPR are being explored to permanently correct the DNA mutations that cause inherited cardiomyopathies. Meanwhile, mRNA therapies, popularized by COVID-19 vaccines, hold potential for instructing heart cells to produce therapeutic proteins or even regenerate damaged tissue.

However, Soufflé's siRNA approach offers distinct potential advantages, including its reversible nature and the ability to fine-tune the degree of gene silencing. Its success hinges on the efficacy of its delivery platform, which, if validated in the heart, could be applied to a host of other diseases and cell types.

Founded in 2021 by a team of scientific heavyweights including MIT's Robert Langer and backed by nearly $200 million in initial financing from top-tier investors, Soufflé has rapidly established itself as a serious contender. Its pipeline also includes programs targeting skeletal muscle for conditions like Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD), demonstrating the breadth of its technological ambitions.

This new partnership represents a convergence of Bayer's vast clinical development and commercialization power with Soufflé's focused, disruptive innovation. For the thousands of patients living with rare genetic heart conditions, this collaboration offers a new beacon of hope, moving beyond symptom management toward a future where diseases can be addressed at their fundamental genetic source.