Venture-Backed Dicerna Cuts First Pharma Deal With Kyowa Hakko Kirin As Prelude to 'B' Round

As it looks for a new investor to lead its second round of funding, RNA interference start-up Dicerna Pharmaceuticals has signed its first big-pharma customer. Japan's Kyowa Hakko Kirin will pay $4 million up-front and as much as $120 million in milestones to develop therapeutics around an undisclosed solid-tumor cancer target using Dicerna's technology