Editas Medicine partners with Genevant Sciences to develop gene editing therapies

USA—Editas Medicine has announced a nonexclusive licensing partnership with Genevant Sciences to co-develop innovative gene-editing therapies.

Under the agreement, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Editas will integrate its advanced CRISPR/Cas12a gene editing system with Genevant’s lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology, which the Swiss-based company specializes in delivering.

 This collaboration aims to create in vivo gene-editing treatments for two undisclosed targets, aligning with Editas’s strategic focus on gene upregulation as a therapeutic approach.

The collaboration terms outline that Genevant will provide Editas with a nonexclusive global license for the gene-editing products emerging from their combined technologies.

 In return, Genevant will receive up to US$283 million in upfront and milestone payments from Editas, and royalties from future sales of the co-developed therapies.

Linda C. Burkly, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Editas Medicine, expressed optimism about the collaboration, highlighting Editas’s strides in becoming a leader in programmable gene editing.

She noted that the partnership with Genevant represents a carefully considered approach to selecting a delivery system that would optimize Editas’s in vivo upregulation strategy.

 “We are making strong progress toward clinical applications as we advance our pipeline of gene-editing medicines,” Burkly stated.

“After examining various delivery technologies, Genevant’s expertise in LNP technology stood out as an ideal complement to our own gene-editing platform, making this partnership a promising opportunity.”

Similarly, James Heyes, Chief Scientific Officer at Genevant Sciences, voiced enthusiasm about the partnership.

He praised Editas as a pioneer in gene editing and emphasized that LNP technology has become a favored method for delivering gene-editing payloads.

“Combining our industry-leading LNP technology with Editas’s groundbreaking gene-editing tools holds exciting potential for developing transformative therapies in this emerging field,” Heyes added.

The announcement spurred trading interest in Editas, with over 4.5 million shares changing hands—an increase from the 860,000 shares traded the previous Friday, October 18.

Editas’s current market capitalization stands at approximately US$310 million.

In recent years, Editas has entered various licensing deals to strengthen its financial position.

 In December 2023, the company licensed its technology to Vertex Pharmaceuticals for US$100 million, and in October 2024, it exchanged a portion of revenue from this deal with DRI Healthcare’s subsidiary in return for a US$57 million payment.

Among the assets in these licensing agreements is Casgevy (exagamglogene autotemcel), recognized as the world’s first CRISPR-based gene therapy for sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia.

GlobalData projects that Casgevy will generate annual revenues of US$857 million for Vertex by 2030.

Currently, Editas’s primary candidate, renizgamglogene autogedtemcel, utilizes CRISPR/Cas12a technology and is in Phase III clinical trials for sickle cell disease (NCT04853576) and Phase II trials for beta-thalassemia (NCT05444894).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted this candidate orphan drug designations for both indications in 2023.

Genevant has also extended its LNP technology to other partners, strengthening its presence in the gene therapy field.

In July 2018, Genevant partnered with BioNTech to explore therapies for rare diseases, and in March 2022, it formed a collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceuticals focused on developing gene therapies for liver conditions.

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