- In December 2023, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics received FDA approval for Casgevy, the first CRISPR-based gene therapy for sickle cell disease. This landmark approval, while for human gene therapy, significantly validates the clinical potential and regulatory pathway for CRISPR technology, which bodes well for therapeutic applications involving engineered microbes
- In May 2023, Scientists created the first CRISPR-based drug candidate specifically targeting the microbiome. Developed by a team primarily at SNIPR Biome, this therapeutic uses CRISPR-armed phages to selectively eliminate problematic E. coli strains in the gut, with initial clinical trials showing promise for blood cancer patients. This marks a significant leap towards precision microbiome engineering for human health
- In April 2023, A TED Audacious Project grant of USD 70 million was awarded to a collaboration between UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley researchers to leverage CRISPR gene editing for modulating the human microbiome to address conditions such as asthma. This initiative aims to develop methods to edit microbes within the body, pushing CRISPR-based microbial engineering from lab-based studies to in vivo human therapeutic applications
- In March 2023, SNIPR Biome announced positive interim clinical results from its phase 1 clinical trial with SNIPR001, the first CRISPR-armed phage therapeutic developed to specifically target and remove E. coli (including antibiotic-resistant strains) from the human gastrointestinal tract. This is a significant step forward in therapeutic microbial engineering.
- In March 2023, Ricoh Company and ERS Genomics announced a non-exclusive licensing agreement in the USA and Japan, giving Ricoh access to foundational CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology patents. This agreement will contribute to expanding the creation of novel disease models, including those utilizing engineered microbes
