Ai Digital Biology
Scribe Therapeutics Unveils Fully Integrated Platform for Engineering Breakthrough CRISPR-based Genetic Medicines
Oct 6, 2020
Built by CRISPR leaders including Jennifer Doudna to enable best-in-class in vivo therapeutics that permanently treat the underlying cause of disease
Initial $20 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz
Collaboration with Biogen Inc. focused on development of novel genetic medicines for neurodegeneration potentially worth more than $400 million
October 06, 2020 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Scribe Therapeutics Inc., the company focused on engineering the most advanced platform for CRISPR-based genetic medicine, today unveiled its vision for highly efficient and specific in vivo genome modification. Since launching out of UC Berkeley’s Doudna Lab, Oakes Lab, and the Innovative Genomics Institute in late 2018, Scribe utilized an initial $20 million Series A round of funding from Andreessen Horowitz and additional investors to further develop a custom platform of gene editing and delivery technologies that will revolutionize genetic medicine.
Scribe was founded by genome and molecular engineers Benjamin Oakes, Brett Staahl, David Savage, and CRISPR co-inventor Jennifer Doudna to move beyond the issues of safety, delivery, poor editing outcomes, and an uncertain intellectual property landscape that limit current CRISPR technology. With an unmatched expertise and track record in CRISPR and protein engineering, the Scribe team is building and applying a suite of CRISPR technologies designed for therapeutic use into a single continually evolving and expanding genetic modification platform.“Scribe’s approach is a philosophical and technical leap to address the fact that no existing approach can fully deliver the types of CRISPR-based therapies into the clinic that we believe are possible,” said Benjamin Oakes, CEO and co-founder of Scribe Therapeutics. “We designed Scribe to specifically deliver these therapeutic molecules and blueprinted out the ideal approach - the technology, the engineering philosophy, the team. We then built from scratch an entire system of novel delivery technologies and CRISPR enzymes specifically designed for therapeutic purposes. Ultimately, we are holistically redesigning what nature provides to bring new, best-in-class genetic medicines to people in need, as quickly as possible.”Scribe engineers novel CRISPR molecules specifically for therapeutic attributes, allowing the company to control the exclusive rights to its custom platforms. The company’s first technology, called X-Editing (XE) molecules, are highly engineered CRISPR enzymes that provide combined aspects of greater efficacy, specificity and deliverability than currently available CRISPR genome editing technology. As Scribe’s engineering core continues to evolve and expand, the company will utilize XE to address diseases of significant unmet need, starting with a pipeline of therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders. Scribe has already announced a research collaboration with Biogen Inc. to develop and commercialize CRISPR-based therapies that address the underlying genetic causes of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).“The biopharma industry is looking for a new generation of purpose-built, highly functional CRISPR tools to enable their ability to develop future genetic medicines,” said Svetlana Lucas, Chief Business Officer of Scribe Therapeutics. “We are building Scribe to be the partner of choice for the industry by creating a versatile set of technologies that allow us to address the fundamental root causes of disease, eliminating significant biology risk from the equation with a goal to dramatically improve the economics of drug development and affordability of these potentially curative therapeutics.”“Scribe’s technology and long-term, engineering approach can help establish CRISPR-based therapies as a new standard of clinical care and expand access to groundbreaking treatments that will impact millions of lives,” said Jennifer Doudna, co-inventor of CRISPR technology and co-founder of Scribe Therapeutics.“Scribe has developed a next-generation platform for CRISPR-based therapeutics that will fundamentally transform how we will diagnose, treat and manage disease at scale,” said Vijay Pande, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz and Scribe Therapeutics board member. “The company represents a shift in therapeutics, from a slow discovery-based approach to fully industrialized, engineered medicine, which will unlock the rapid development of novel therapeutics to improve the lives of millions of people worldwide.”To learn more about Scribe’s technology, industry partnership opportunities, and careers, please visit www.scribetx.com.About Scribe TherapeuticsScribe Therapeutics is a molecular engineering company focused on building best-in-class in vivo therapies to permanently treat the underlying cause of disease. Founded by CRISPR inventors and leading molecular engineers Benjamin Oakes, Brett Staahl, David Savage, and Jennifer Doudna, Scribe is overcoming the limitations of current genome editing technologies by developing custom engineered enzymes and delivery modalities as part of a proprietary, evergreen platform for CRISPR-based genetic medicine. The company is backed by leading individual and institutional investors including Andreessen Horowitz. To learn more about Scribe’s mission to rewrite the story of disease, visit www.scribetx.com
