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Apellis and Beam Therapeutics Enter Exclusive Research Collaboration to Apply Base Editing to Discover Novel Therapies for Complement-Driven Diseases
Collaboration combines Apellis’ expertise in complement, a complex biological system, with Beam’s proprietary base editing platform Companies will collaborate
About this update from Beam Therapeutics Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Collaboration combines Apellis’ expertise in complement, a complex biological system, with Beam’s proprietary base editing platform Companies will collaborate on six research programs directed to tissues modulated by the complement system, including the eye, liver, and brain WALTHAM, Mass. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: APLS) and Beam Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: BEAM) today announced an exclusive five-year research collaboration focused on the use of Beam’s proprietary base editing technology to discover new treatments for complement-driven diseases. The companies will collaborate on six research programs focused on C3 and other complement targets in the eye, liver, and brain. “Beam has pioneered base editing, which holds significant promise as a best-in-class technology for precision gene editing. This collaboration builds on our deep scientific expertise in complement and, together with our growing pipeline, positions Apellis for long-term leadership in the complement field,” said Cedric Francois, M.D., Ph.D., co-founder and chief executive officer, Apellis. “Apellis and Beam share a vision for advancing transformative medicines for patients, which is critically important as we embark on a highly innovative effort to modulate complement and discover new treatments across a wide range of debilitating diseases.” Base editing represents a potential new class of precision genetic medicine that uses a chemical reaction designed to create precise, predictable, and efficient single base changes at targeted genomic sequences without making double-stranded breaks in the DNA. Editing key elements of the complement pathway in target organs has the potential to alter the complement cascade and durably address diseases driven by abnormal complement activity. “Apellis has established itself as a leader in complement with the advancement of compelling targeted C3 therapies,” said John Evans, chief executive officer, Beam. “This collaboration allows us to combine our proprietary technologies and capabilities in base editing with Apellis’ expertise in targeting the complement pathway to develop new medicines for diseases driven by complement biology. This also represents an important strategic initiative to explore opportunities that expand the application of base editing to addres...