Editas Makes Good on Portfolio Reprioritization with Shoreline Deals (Updated)

Editas CMO Baisong Mei and CEO Gilmore O'Neill/courtesy of Editas Medicine  

Editas Medicine made good Thursday on the restructuring plans it announced last week, selling its preclinical gene-edited induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived natural killer cell (iNK) programs to Shoreline Biosciences.

As part of the package, San Diego-based Shoreline gains Editas’ EDIT-202, a preclinical iNK cell medicine intended to treat solid tumors.

“We want to see how EDIT-202 works in our hands,” said Kleanthis Xanthopoulos, Ph.D., CEO of Shoreline, in an interview with BioSpace. 

For more than two decades, Shoreline has specialized in scaling and differentiating cell lines, and Xanthopoulos is eager to get Editas’ tech and cells in the lab.

Shoreline also acquired an unnamed “cousin” of EDIT-202, with which Xanthopoulos said Shoreline wants to “compare and contrast, and potentially create a hybrid that incorporates the best of both worlds”.

Shoreline also licensed Editas’ proprietary SeLection by Essential-gene Exon Knock-in (SLEEK) technology.

The newly acquired tech will boost Shoreline’s mission to tackle malignancies in the clinical setting. Shoreline develops genetically engineered iNKs and macrophages (iMACs) to improve the immune system’s ability to attack and eliminate tumors. The company will also receive a non-exclusive license for Editas’ AsCas12a enzyme.

Xanthopoulos said Shoreline is always looking for the best available endonuclease and ACas12a fit the bill.

SLEEK may hold the potential to transform how cell therapies are produced.

“Cell therapies are going to be transformative in the near future,” Xanthopoulos said. “While autologous is doing great, the future is allogeneic.”

Allogeneic cell therapies are important to companies waging a war on cancer because they can be easily scaled to provide access to more patients.

“Truly off-the-shelf therapies will expand access to community hospitals, not just highly specialized academic hospitals,” Xanthopoulos said.

He added that Shoreline has an “embarrassment of riches”, and that acquiring new technology will promote the company’s advancement to the clinic with therapies targeting hematologic and solid tumors.

Cristi Barnett, vice president and head of corporate communications at Editas called the deal a "win-win" for both companies. 

"Shoreline’s goal is to win the war on cancer," Barnett added. 

Under the terms of the agreement, Editas will receive an upfront payment and will be eligible to receive future commercial milestone and royalty payments.

In October 2022, Editas presented data demonstrating EDIT-202’s ability to enhance in vivo control of solid tumors, maintaining prolonged persistence and high cytotoxicity. The company planned to move forward with Investigational New Drug-enabling studies.

On Jan. 9, Editas announced it was actively seeking partnerships to continue development of its iNK franchise and EDIT-202.

The acquisition will enable Editas to “sharpen [its] efforts on advancing current clinical stage trials and focus [its] resources on in vivo fit-for-purpose therapeutic construction and development” said Gilmore O’Neill, president and CEO of Editas, in a prepared statement.