Moderna’s mRNA Platform to Team with Life Edit’s Gene Editing Technologies

Moderna and Life Edit Therapeutics, an ElevateBio company based in Durham, NC, are forming a strategic research and development collaboration to discover and develop in vivo mRNA gene editing therapies. The partnership will combine Life Edit’s suite of proprietary gene editing technologies, including base editing, with Moderna’s mRNA platform to advance in vivo gene editing therapies against a select set of therapeutic targets.

“This collaboration between Life Edit and Moderna demonstrates the strength of our respective technologies to advance programmable medicines to more specifically target disease,” said Mitchell Finer, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, Life Edit Therapeutics and President, R&D, ElevateBio. “Our novel editing systems have the potential to precisely modify gene targets for both in vivo and ex vivo therapeutic development. We are excited that partners, such as Moderna, are recognizing the potential of our technology.”

Life Edit’s gene editing platform offers a large and diverse library of base editors and RNA-guided nucleases (RGNs). The RGNs are smaller in size when compared to conventional nucleases, potentially enabling greater versatility for delivery. Life Edit’s nuclease collection features a range of Protospacer Adjacent Motifs (PAMs), short sequences that determine the DNA segments in the genome to which a nuclease can bind. The diversity of Life Edit’s PAM collection enables base editing at more sites than any one nuclease could achieve, offering unprecedented access to the genome to target disease.

Under the agreement, Life Edit and Moderna will collaborate on research and preclinical studies funded by Moderna. Upon exercising an option for a target, Moderna will assume responsibility for further development, manufacturing, and commercialization. Life Edit will receive an upfront payment and is eligible to receive potential development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments for each target for which Moderna exercises an option, in addition to tiered royalties on global net sales of products from the collaboration. (Source: Moderna Website, 22 February, 2023)