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Bill Gates and Google are among some of the high-profile backers of a genome editing company that's raised $120 million (£77 million) to help develop DNA-editing technology.
According to Bloomberg, Editas Medicine Inc. has received funding from Boris Nikolic, former chief adviser for science and technology to Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who has also backed the donations.
In a statement released by the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech company, it was also revealed that Nikolic has joined its board. Other notable investors in Editas include Silicon Valley's Google Ventures and venture-capital firm Deerfield Management Co.
The funding is designed to support development of Crispr-Cas 9, a technology that can be used to treat potentially deadly diseases by "fixing" faulty genes. Editas is currently testing the technology to help correct eye disorders, and is collaborating with Juno Therapeutics Inc., a firm which genetically engineers immune-system cells to help fight cancer.
The pioneering technology enables scientists to "correct" the human genome by removing the malfunctioning sections of DNA -- almost like using highly precise scissors -- and putting healthy, "working" ones in their place. Unlike many other genome editing methods currently used, Crispr is relatively cheap and easy to use, attracting interest from a broad range of scientists looking to modify everything from human cells to plants.
However, the technology has also generated controversy, with some scientists calling for Crispr to be banned from modifying the "human germline": human sperm, eggs and embryos. Although Editas CEO Katrine Bosley said that the company is yet to begin human trials on its treatments, the company has assured that it doesn't work on the human germline.
Jim Flynn, managing partner at Deerfield, which has invested in the project to the tune of $20 million (£13.8 million), said Crispr has "broad applicability". Acknowledging the long-term goals of the company, which is joined by other genome editing firms in the field such as Intellia Therapeutics Inc. and Precision BioSciences Inc., Bosley commented: "This is a marathon that we are in here, and all of these investors understand that."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
