CRISPR Therapeutics' Gene-Edited Oncology Pipeline To Focus On Expanded Use In Autoimmune Diseases

Monday, CRISPR Therapeutics AG CRSP provided an update on its immuno-oncology pipeline of CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edited allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell product candidates.

The company's first-generation allogeneic CAR T candidates, CTX110 and CTX130, provided important proof of concept that allogeneic CAR T cells can produce durable remissions following a standard lymphodepletion regimen. 

Also Read: UK Approves First Crispr Gene Edited Therapy For Sickle Cell Disease, Beta Thalassemia.

Emerging pharmacology data, including pharmacokinetics, indicate that the novel potency gene edits in CTX112 and CTX131 lead to significantly higher CAR T cell expansion and functional persistence in patients compared to the first-generation candidates. 

In addition, the next-generation candidates exhibit increased manufacturing robustness, with a higher and more consistent number of CAR T cells produced per batch. 

Furthermore, CRISPR Therapeutics announced plans to initiate new clinical trials of CTX112 and CTX131 in additional indications. 

The company plans to expand the evaluation of CTX112 beyond oncology into autoimmune diseases. Early clinical studies have shown that CD19-directed autologous CAR T therapy can produce long-lasting remissions in multiple autoimmune indications. 

The company plans to initiate a clinical trial in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the first half of 2024.

William Blair writes that CRISPR’s expansion of CTX112’s application into rheumatology is de-risked by the clinical data generated by Dr. Schett and provides CTX112 with more shots on goal. 

Furthermore, an allogeneic therapy would eliminate the need for apheresis and could be more scalable to differentiate CTX112 from autologous CAR-T therapies in the commercial setting, if successfully developed. 

The analyst keeps the outperform rating for the stock.

Price Action: CRSP shares are up 1.61% at $72.66 during the premarket session on the last check Tuesday.