Moderna and Life Edit Therapeutics are combining resources to develop new in vivo mRNA gene editing therapies in an effort to treat — and possibly cure — rare genetic diseases.
Life Edit Therapeutics will offer Moderna researchers access to a vast library collection containing diverse, novel RNA-guided nucleases, which "enables base editing at more sites than any one nuclease could achieve, offering unprecedented access to the genome to target disease," according to a Feb. 22 press release.
Combining that with Moderna's mRNA platform will allow the two to explore several new areas of research and preclinical studies, which will be funded by Moderna. If promising results are discovered, from there, Moderna will take over in further development and execution.
"At Moderna Genomics, we are constantly working to accelerate new therapeutic targets that may one day lead to the next generation of transformative mRNA medicines for patients," Eric Huang, PhD, chief scientific officer for Moderna Genomics, said in a statement. "Through our collaboration with Life Edit, we hope to harness the power of gene editing technologies as part of our broader research and development engine, helping to advance our mission and deliver on the promise of mRNA."