Locus Biosciences
Locus Biosciences is a preclinical-stage pharmaceutical company based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina which aims to develop phage therapies based on CRISPR–Cas3 gene editing technology delivered by engineered bacteriophages under the trademark crPhage.[2] CRISPR-Cas3 is more destructive than the better known CRISPR–Cas9 used by companies like Caribou Biosciences, Editas Medicine, Synthego, Intellia Therapeutics, CRISPR Therapeutics and Beam Therapeutics.[3] CRISPR–Cas3 destroys the targeted DNA in either prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells.[4][5] The company was founded in 2015 with a $5 million convertible note from the Chinese investor Tencent Holdings and North Carolina Biotechnology Center[6][7] and licensed CRISPR patents from North Carolina State University.[7][3]
Industry | Pharmaceutical company |
---|---|
Founded | May 22, 2015 in Raleigh, NC, USA |
Founders | Paul Garofolo,[1] Nick Taylor, Dave Ousterout, Rodolphe Barrangou,[1] Charles Gersbach, Chase Beisel, Ahmed Gomaa |
Headquarters | Morrisville, North Carolina , United States |
Brands | crPhage |
Website | www |
Co-founder, Rodolphe Barrangou, said "Cas3 is a meaner system...but if you want to cut a tree and get rid of it, you bring a chain saw, not a scalpel"[8]
In 2017, the company closed a $19 million Series A led by Artis Ventures, Tencent Holdings Ltd, and Abstract Ventures.[3][9]
In 2018, Locus acquired the high-throughput bacteriophage discovery platform from San Francisco-based phage therapy company Epibiome, Inc.[10]
In 2019, the company entered into a strategic collaboration with Janssen Pharmaceuticals (a Johnson & Johnson company) worth up to $818 million to develop CRISPR-Cas3 drugs targeting two bacterial pathogens.[4][11][3][12]
Under the terms of the partnership, Locus will receive $20M upfront and up to $798M in milestones and royalties on net sales.[13]
Clinical trial
Locus created a cocktail of three CRISPR modified phages. The study in 2019 of 30 patients will look at the reduction of E. coli in their urinary tracts. Twenty patients will get a phage cocktail, and 10 will get a placebo.[22]
References
- "Move over Cas9, CRISPR-Cas3 might hold the key to solving the antibiotics crisis". Archived from the original on 2019-02-20. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
- Gibney, Elizabeth (January 2, 2018). "What to expect in 2018: science in the new year". Nature. 553 (7686): 12–13. Bibcode:2018Natur.553...12G. doi:10.1038/d41586-018-00009-5. PMID 29300040.
- "Up to $818 million deal between J&J and Locus Biosciences points to a new path for CRISPR therapies". Archived from the original on 2019-02-03. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
- Taylor, Phil (3 January 2019). "J&J takes stake in Locus' CRISPR-based 'Pac-Man' antimicrobials". Fierce Biotech. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- Reardon, Sara (2017). "Modified viruses deliver death to antibiotic-resistant bacteria". Nature. 546 (7660): 586–587. Bibcode:2017Natur.546..586R. doi:10.1038/nature.2017.22173. PMID 28661508.
- MARTZ, LAUREN. "CUTTING THROUGH RESISTANCE". Biocentury. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- Brown, Kisten. "Scientists Are Creating a Genetic Chainsaw to Hack Superbug DNA to Bits". Archived from the original on 2018-12-09. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
- Marcus, Amy Dockser. "A Genetic 'Chain Saw' to Target Harmful DNA". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- Martz, Lauren. "Cutting Through Resistance". Biocentury.
- "Locus Biosciences Acquires EpiBiome Bacteriophage Discovery Platform". Genomeweb. July 17, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- "Antibiotics Are Failing Us. Crispr is Our Glimmer of Hope". Wired. 2019-01-16. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
- "Is Phage Therapy Here to Stay?". Scientific American: 50–57. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- Brown, Kristen (January 3, 2019). "J&J Bets $20 Million on DNA Tool to Battle Infectious Bacteria". Bloomberg. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- Wright AV, Nuñez JK, Doudna JA (January 2016). "Biology and Applications of CRISPR Systems: Harnessing Nature's Toolbox for Genome Engineering". Cell. 164 (1–2): 29–44. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2015.12.035. PMID 26771484.
- Westra ER, Dowling AJ, Broniewski JM, van Houte S (November 2016). "Evolution and Ecology of CRISPR". Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. 47 (1): 307–331. doi:10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-121415-032428.
- Wiedenheft B, Sternberg SH, Doudna JA (February 2012). "RNA-guided genetic silencing systems in bacteria and archaea". Nature. 482 (7385): 331–8. Bibcode:2012Natur.482..331W. doi:10.1038/nature10886. PMID 22337052.
- Deng L, Garrett RA, Shah SA, Peng X, She Q (March 2013). "A novel interference mechanism by a type IIIB CRISPR-Cmr module in Sulfolobus". Molecular Microbiology. 87 (5): 1088–99. doi:10.1111/mmi.12152. PMID 23320564.
- Sinkunas T, Gasiunas G, Fremaux C, Barrangou R, Horvath P, Siksnys V (April 2011). "Cas3 is a single-stranded DNA nuclease and ATP-dependent helicase in the CRISPR/Cas immune system". The EMBO Journal. 30 (7): 1335–42. doi:10.1038/emboj.2011.41. PMC 3094125. PMID 21343909.
- Huo Y, Nam KH, Ding F, Lee H, Wu L, Xiao Y, Farchione MD, Zhou S, Rajashankar K, Kurinov I, Zhang R, Ke A (September 2014). "Structures of CRISPR Cas3 offer mechanistic insights into Cascade-activated DNA unwinding and degradation". Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. 21 (9): 771–7. doi:10.1038/nsmb.2875. PMC 4156918. PMID 25132177.
- Gasiunas G, Barrangou R, Horvath P, Siksnys V (September 2012). "Cas9-crRNA ribonucleoprotein complex mediates specific DNA cleavage for adaptive immunity in bacteria". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 109 (39): E2579–86. Bibcode:2012PNAS..109E2579G. doi:10.1073/pnas.1208507109. PMC 3465414. PMID 22949671.
- Heler R, Samai P, Modell JW, Weiner C, Goldberg GW, Bikard D, Marraffini LA (March 2015). "Cas9 specifies functional viral targets during CRISPR–Cas adaptation". Nature. 519 (7542): 199–202. Bibcode:2015Natur.519..199H. doi:10.1038/nature14245. PMC 4385744. PMID 25707807.
- "Scientists Modify Viruses With CRISPR To Create New Weapon Against Superbugs". NPR. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.