Intellia Makes History with Gene Editing Progress
It is a week full of expectations for Intellia Therapeutics and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. Intellia would bring the biotechnology and CRISPR industry with a significant shock on Saturday the 26th of June following its successful gene editing exercise inside a human body. The organization notes that it had successfully done an in vivo DNA editing operation using its systematically delivered CRISPR/cas9 therapy. (read more about genes)
According to Fierce Biotech “NTLA-2001 reduced serum levels of transthyretin, a key biomarker for the disease, by 87% in patients who received a higher dose. This result bested the standard of care therapy, which typically reduces transthyretin by 80%.”
That is fantastic as it means that there are other potential solutions for humans besides the present types of medication or treatments. A different type of treatment provides immense value for human beings as it brings about the potential for more opportunities to fight diseases and maybe to even eventually eliminate them?
But we still need to see the long term benefits of this recent effort, still it is a step forward.
Intellia and Phase 1 Results
Intellia presented its phase 1 results at an annual meeting conducted by the Peripheral Nerve Society. In the report, Intellia demonstrated the in vivo gene editing therapy dubbed NTLA-2001 was highly effective in reducing the presence and effects of the disease causing protein only after a single infusion.
The success achieved has had a positive effect on Intellia Therapeutics’ stock and market position. By Monday 28th June, the company’s shares had hit a rocketing 45%, trading to about $129. The rise in share value comes only a few days after the company had announced that its gene editing treatments for adverse liver conditions looked like a promising remedy.
Intellia has proved its position as a strong company considering its $9billion market capitalization. Such strong figures only reveal that the pharmaceutical firm will benefit from investor confidence and a pacesetter for other pharmaceutical organizations like Beam Therapeutics and Editas as other life science multinationals rush in and continue with their respective efforts in the field.