On February 3, 2022, Intellia Therapeutics, a leading clinical-stage genome editing company focused on developing curative therapeutics leveraging CRISPR-based technologies, announced the acquisition of Rewrite Therapeutics, a private biotechnology company focused on advancing novel DNA writing technologies. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati advised Rewrite Therapeutics on IP, technology transactions, and antitrust matters related to the transaction.

Rewrite has developed promising new tools for genome editing, including DNA writing via CRISPR/Cas9-guided polymerases. Founded by pioneering scientists of the University of California, Berkeley and backed by Civilization Ventures and Prefix Capital, Rewrite’s DNA writing technology may enable a range of precise editing strategies. These strategies include targeted corrections, insertions, deletions, and the full range of single-nucleotide changes, which could provide new ways to edit disease-causing genes and broaden the therapeutic potential for genomic medicines. Rewrite also has developed an approach that could improve the efficiency of genome editing in non-dividing cell types, a key challenge for some existing editing platforms. Rewrite’s technology could potentially be delivered using Intellia’s lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology and adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors. As part of this transaction, Intellia will pay the Rewrite shareholders $45 million in an upfront payment and an additional $155 million in pre-specified research and regulatory approval milestones through a mix of Intellia common stock and cash. Additional financial details were not disclosed.

For more information, please see Intellia Therapeutics' press release.