Dresden: Seamless announces USD 1.12 billion R&D collaboration with Lilly on genetic hearing loss

The companies will use Seamless' recombinase technology to develop therapeutics for specific indications of hearing loss.

The company's technology enables large, precise DNA insertions into any target gene sequence and functions independently of the cell's natural DNA repair pathway. Under the terms of the agreement, Seamless will develop and program site-specific recombinases to correct mutations in certain genes associated with hearing loss. Lilly will receive an exclusive license to the programmed recombinases to advance preclinical and clinical drug development and commercialization.

"Lilly is committed to advancing novel treatment approaches for genetic diseases and shares our vision of bringing genetic medicines to patients who currently have limited treatment options. This collaboration is a validation of our gene editing platform and its broad potential to modify disease," said Dr. Albert Seymour, Chief Executive Officer of Seamless Therapeutics. "We look forward to working with our partners at Lilly on our shared goal of improving treatment outcomes for patients with genetic hearing loss. It is an exciting opportunity to leverage our technology to provide treatment options for patients with hearing loss and further expand the therapeutic potential of programmable recombinases through our proprietary pipeline."

Under the terms of the agreement, Seamless will receive a guaranteed upfront payment and committed research and development funding. In total, Seamless is eligible to receive over $1.12 billion, including potential development and commercialization milestone payments, excluding tiered royalties on successfully commercialized drugs. Further details of the agreement were not disclosed.

Seamless "translates" significant breakthroughs in the programming of recombinases, a class of enzymes that have been widely used in scientific research for decades, and transforms their accuracy and flexibility to enable therapeutic gene editing. The company's unique technology platform enables site-specific programmable recombinases designed for specificity and activity to precisely insert, exchange, reverse or excise DNA fragments into any target gene sequence in the genome. By advancing Seamless' novel programmable recombinases, this agreement opens up the potential for the technology to be used to treat high unmet need in genetic hearing loss.

• About Seamless Therapeutics

Seamless Therapeutics emerged as a start-up from the Dresden University of Technology (TU Dresden) and today also has a subsidiary in the USA. The scientific foundations were laid in academic research, in particular through the work of Prof. Dr. Frank Buchholz and Dr. Felix Lansing at the TU Dresden. Seamless Therapeutics is changing the paradigm of gene editing through a breakthrough approach that has the potential to address unmet medical needs of patients with serious diseases. The technology platform enables the programming of recombinases, a highly versatile class of enzymes. Seamless Therapeutics is applying its proprietary know-how to develop a pipeline of disease-modifying product candidates for a broad range of indications, expanding the therapeutic potential of gene editing.