Intellia Expands Genome Editing Toolbox with Acquisition of Rewrite Therapeutics

Genome editing biotech Intellia Therapeutics has acquired Rewrite Therapeutics, expanding its toolbox with a versatile DNA writing platform that complements its existing CRISPR/Cas9 and base editing technologies.

Photo: John Leonard, president and CEO of Intellia Therapeutics

Intellia says Rewrite has developed promising new tools for genome editing, including DNA writing via CRISPR/Cas9-guided polymerases. Founded by Shakked Halperin and Professor David Schaffer of the University of California, Berkeley and backed by Civilization Ventures and Prefix Capital, Rewrite’s DNA writing technology may enable a range of precise editing strategies. These strategies include targeted corrections, insertions, deletions, and the full range of single-nucleotide changes, which could provide new ways to edit disease-causing genes and broaden the therapeutic potential for genomic medicines. Rewrite also has developed an approach that could improve the efficiency of genome editing in non-dividing cell types, a key challenge for some existing editing platforms. Rewrite’s technology could potentially be delivered using Intellia’s lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology and adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors.

“We could not be more excited to add Rewrite’s additional capabilities to our growing platform, offering us new possibilities and the potential to target diseases beyond those currently being explored in our pipeline.” said John Leonard, president and CEO of Intellia Therapeutics.

As part of this transaction, Intellia will pay the Rewrite shareholders $45 million in an upfront payment and an additional $155 million in pre-specified research and regulatory approval milestones through a mix of Intellia common stock and cash. Additional financial details were not disclosed.

Author: Rare Daily Staff