ElevateBio partners with AWS to advance CRISPR Therapeutics using Generative AI

USA – ElevateBio has announced a multi-year collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to accelerate the discovery and development of gene-editing therapeutics through the use of generative AI (genAI).

The partnership will see ElevateBio integrate its extensive CRISPR dataset and proprietary gene editing technologies with AWS’s high-performance cloud computing infrastructure.

The goal: to speed up innovation in CRISPR-based therapies by leveraging cutting-edge machine learning tools.

Based in the U.S., ElevateBio offers a suite of platforms supporting the full lifecycle of cell and gene therapy development—from early discovery to commercialisation.

Its gene editing and R&D division, Life Edit, encompasses a gene editing platform, cell and RNA engineering capabilities, and a therapeutic delivery system. With AWS onboard, ElevateBio will now add genAI to this platform mix.

Specifically, AWS’s SageMaker platform will be used to scale and enhance Life Edit’s protein language models (PLMs). ElevateBio says this integration will significantly improve the speed and accuracy of analyzing vast datasets to design new CRISPR systems.

A proof-of-concept study already demonstrated that AWS tools not only expanded protein discovery capabilities but also lowered associated costs.

CRISPR gene editing holds promise for treating a range of genetic disorders by enabling precise DNA modifications.

In December 2023, Casgevy—developed by Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics—became the first CRISPR therapy approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), targeting sickle cell disease.

ElevateBio aims to go further by designing more advanced CRISPR proteins with broader therapeutic potential, both for its internal pipeline and external partners.

This latest initiative builds on ElevateBio’s momentum, which includes securing US$401 million in Series D financing in June 2023.

“The first wave of CRISPR therapies has focused on a small number of monogenic diseases caused by single-gene mutations,” said ElevateBio CEO David Hallal.

“By combining AWS’s powerful cloud computing and AI with our CRISPR dataset, we’re working to expand CRISPR’s reach to thousands of more complex monogenic and polygenic diseases—potentially unlocking curative treatments across a wide range of conditions.”

AWS is no stranger to the life sciences sector. It has ongoing collaborations with Merck & Co. (MSD) since 2021, supporting cloud migration and AI-powered quality control tools. Novartis has also teamed up with AWS to enhance analytics and streamline business operations.

More broadly, the pharmaceutical industry is seeing a surge in AI-driven collaborations and funding.

Generative AI is increasingly being adopted in preclinical stages of drug development, helping reduce costs, speed up R&D timelines, and identify more effective drug candidates.

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