Data moves company closer to the goal of a single-administration therapy, potentially removing the need for chronic anti-viral therapy

OAKLAND, Calif., March 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Excision BioTherapeutics, a private biotechnology company focused on applying CRISPR gene editing to curing viral infectious diseases, today announced the presentation of its first non-human primate data to support further testing of its investigational agent EBT-101. 

At the 2020 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) held in Boston, Massachusetts, Excision BioTherapeutics’ non-human primate study was accepted as a “late-breaker” poster presented by Drs. Jennifer Gordon and Kamel Khalili from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, which showed the following:

• Data demonstrating tolerability of EBT-001 in all treated animals followed for up to six months
• Data suggesting efficacy by removal of SIV viral genomes from non-human primates
• Data identifying broad tissue distribution of CRISPR DNA in every studied tissue suggesting the ability for in-vivo CRISPR administration to reach tissues of viral reservoirs

“Our upcoming presentations highlight data that will support our plans to submit the company’s first IND and to begin testing the product in HIV patients in the United States in 2020,” said Sam Jackson, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer of Excision BioTherapeutics. “The data demonstrate the tolerability of the product at multiple dose levels in monkeys over six months. This important work moves us closer to the goal of a single-administration therapy that could eliminate HIV viral genomes from patients, potentially removing the need for chronic anti-viral therapy.”

The accepted poster listed is available here: https://excisionbio.com/articles/Editing-SIV-2020.pdf

Poster Presentation Details
Presentation Title: Editing of SIV in nonhuman primates by CRISPR-Cas9 in viral reservoirs 
Poster Session, Date, and Time: CURE STRATEGIES: HUMAN AND ANIMAL STUDIES; Tuesday, March 10th, 2:30 - 4:00 p.m.

The study was conducted in collaboration with Temple University. For more information, please visit www.excisionbio.com

About Excision BioTherapeutics
Excision BioTherapeutics Inc. is a biotechnology company developing therapies using CRISPR gene editing technology to cure patients of viral infectious diseases. Based on technologies from the Kamel Khalili, PhD lab at Temple University’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine and Jennifer Doudna, PhD lab at the University of California Berkeley, the company is advancing CRISPR-based therapies for multiple viral infectious diseases with significant unmet medical needs. The company is supported by investments from Artis Ventures, Norwest Ventures, SilverRidge Venture Partners, Oakhouse Partners, Gaingels, Elong Capital, and Ben Franklin Technology Partners.

Note
Kamel Khalili is Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Consultant, and holds equity in Excision Biotherapeutics, who has licensed the viral gene editing technology from Temple University. Kamel Khalili and Rafal Kaminski are named inventors on patents that cover the viral gene editing technology. Tricia Burdo and Jennifer Gordon hold equity in Excision Biotherapeutics. These named researchers are employed by Temple University, and conduct research activities sponsored by the company. Questions regarding their affiliations with Temple University may be directed to coisom@temple.edu. 

pr@excisionbio.com