Moderna is aiming to build a gene editing franchise powered by some of the same technologies used in its COVID-19 vaccines. The Cambridge biotech company announced Wednesday that it will partner with Life Edit Therapeutics to develop potentially permanent treatments for rare genetic diseases and other conditions.
Life Edit is the North Carolina subsidiary of ElevateBio, a cell and gene therapy manufacturing firm in Waltham. Moderna will fund preclinical research studies run by the two companies using Life Edit’s tools based on CRISPR technologies that allow scientists to make precise changes to the human genome.
The deal comes as Moderna strives to build on the success of its COVID-19 vaccine. The company’s first commercial product earned it more than $36 billion in the past two years, but sales are expected to drop sharply in 2023. Moderna already has a pipeline of dozens of experimental medicines for infectious diseases, cancer, and genetic conditions, all based on its messenger RNA technology — and it’s looking to grow.
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