CRISPR Therapeutics and ViaCyte, Inc. to Start Clinical Trial of the First Gene-Edited Cell Replacement Therapy for Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes
Published in Tools.
ZUG, Switzerland and CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and SAN DIEGO, Nov. 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRSP), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines for serious diseases, and ViaCyte, Inc., a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company developing novel cell replacement therapies to address diseases with significant unmet needs, today announced that Health Canada has approved the companies’ Clinical Trial Application (CTA) for VCTX210, an allogeneic, gene-edited, immune-evasive, stem cell-derived therapy for the treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Initiation of patient enrollment is expected by year-end.
“With the approval of our CTA, we are excited to bring a first-in-class CRISPR-edited cell therapy for the treatment of type 1 diabetes to the clinic, an important milestone in enabling a whole new class of gene-edited stem cell-derived medicines,” said Samarth Kulkarni, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of CRISPR Therapeutics. “The combination of ViaCyte’s leading stem cell capabilities and CRISPR Therapeutics’ pre-eminent gene-editing platform has the potential to meaningfully impact the lives of patients living with type 1 diabetes.”