Vertex Teams With Verve Over Liver Disease Gene Editing Program

Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Verve Therapeutics have inked a 4-year collaboration deal to develop an in vivo gene editing treatment for an undisclosed liver disease.

Under the agreement, Vertex will pay Verve $60 million upfront for access to its gene editing know-how. Verve will take the lead in the discovery, research and preclinical development, while Vertex will be responsible for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of any program stemming from the research.

Verve co-founder and CEO Sekar Kathiresan said the deal validates the company’s work on liver-directed gene editing, calling it an important step forward for Verve’s pipeline of in vivo gene editing medicines to address serious diseases.

Verve’s primary focus so far has been on gene editing treatments for cardiovascular disease.