Scribe Therapeutics, Inc. has achieved a second success milestone in its ongoing collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company, marking further progress in the development of in vivo CRISPR-based genetic medicines targeting neurological and neuromuscular disorders.
The milestone reflects advancements tied to one of the specific targets under the companies’ 2023 research agreement and underscores continued momentum in applying Scribe’s proprietary X-Editor (XE) technology. The collaboration is focused on harnessing next-generation CRISPR tools to directly edit genes inside the body, with the goal of delivering transformative therapies for diseases that currently have limited or no effective treatment options.
Scribe’s X-Editor platform is part of its broader “CRISPR by Design™” approach, a data-driven and iterative engineering strategy aimed at optimizing gene-editing performance. The company says this methodology enables the deliberate refinement of CRISPR-based medicines to achieve the potency, precision and specificity required for safe and effective in vivo applications. The latest milestone serves as further validation of this engineering framework.
Benjamin Oakes, Ph.D., co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Scribe Therapeutics, said the achievement highlights both strong execution and continued validation of the company’s in vivo CRISPR technologies by a partner known for technical and clinical rigor. He emphasized that advancing programs in partnership with Lilly reinforces confidence that purpose-built CRISPR systems can meet the demanding thresholds necessary for treating complex neurological and neuromuscular diseases.
The collaboration previously reached an initial milestone and included a joint scientific presentation at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) annual meeting in 2025. These developments signal steady progress toward potential clinical applications.
Under the terms of the original agreement announced in 2023, Scribe is eligible to receive more than $1.5 billion in total milestone payments across research, development, regulatory and commercial achievements. In addition, the company may earn low double-digit royalties on future product sales resulting from the collaboration.
Svetlana Lucas, Ph.D., Chief Business Officer at Scribe, said the second milestone reflects the productive nature of the partnership and the complementary strengths of the two organizations. She noted that both companies share a commitment to advancing innovation in genetic medicine to improve therapeutic options for patients.
Beyond its work with Lilly, Scribe is also applying its CRISPR engineering platform to wholly owned programs in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. The company believes its approach can support the creation of durable and differentiated genetic medicines aimed at large patient populations with high unmet medical need.
The milestone announcement further underscores growing industry confidence in precisely engineered CRISPR technologies as a potential foundation for next-generation genetic therapies.