Editas Medicine Undergoes Major Restructuring, Cutting 65% of Staff and Halting Sickle Cell Therapy Development

Layoffs and Restructuring:
Editas Medicine is cutting approximately 65% of its staff over the next six months as part of a cost-cutting transition initiative24.

Sickle Cell Therapy Halted:
The company is terminating its work on the ex vivo therapy renizgamglogene autogedtemcel for sickle cell disease after failing to find a development sponsor24.

Focus Shift:
Editas will focus its resources and expertise on developing in vivo CRISPR-editing assets, leveraging recent promising preclinical proof-of-concept findings23.

Management Changes:
The restructuring includes the departure of Chief Medical Officer Baisong Mei and changes to the company’s Board of Directors, with Emma Reeve and Meeta Chatterjee stepping down and Jessica Hopfield becoming the new chair2.

Preclinical Progress:
Editas has achieved in vivo preclinical proof of concept for hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell editing using its proprietary targeted lipid nanoparticle platform, which is a key step toward developing a novel in vivo treatment for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia3.

Sources:

2. https://www.biospace.com/business/editas-axes-60-of-staff-sickle-cell-therapy-after-failing-to-find-partner

3. https://ir.editasmedicine.com/news-releases/news-release-details/editas-medicine-announces-progress-towards-2024-goals-including

4. https://convitgroup.com/2024/12/13/editas-axes-60-of-staff-sickle-cell-therapy-after-failing-to-find-partner/