GenEdit, a member of the CITRIS Foundry‘s spring 2016 cohort, has signed a deal with biotechnology corporation Genentech to develop nucleic-acid based medicines for autoimmune diseases.
In the multiyear collaboration, Genentech will pay $15 million to license GenEdit’s NanoGalaxy platform, which uses nonviral, nonlipid hydrophilic nanoparticles (HNPs) to facilitate gene therapy delivery. Their focus lies in discovering suitable polymers to advance Genentech’s autoimmune drug development pipeline. GenEdit is in line to earn another $629 million if desired milestones are met during the partnership.
Up and coming within a shift towards nonviral gene therapy delivery, GenEdit has sparked the interest and support of several other developers in recent years, including $26 million in series A financing backed by Eli Lilly in 2021 and a $57 million partnership with Sarepta in 2022. The company’s goal is to surpass the limitations and safety concerns of current gene editing delivery methods using their novel polymer nanoparticles.