Lisa Jarvis, Columnist

Crispr Might Actually Live Up to Its Immense Hype

Early success in using the gene-editing technology to stop the liver from making dangerous proteins suggests it could work as a one-and-done treatment.

March 1, 2022 at 7:24 PM UTC

By Lisa Jarvis

Lisa Jarvis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering biotech, health care and the pharmaceutical industry. Previously, she was executive editor of Chemical & Engineering News.

Intellia’s new data underline the promise of Crispr.
Photographer: Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

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From the dawn of Crispr in 2012, medical scientists have recognized the gene-editing tool’s potential to treat, or even cure, genetic diseases. New data from Intellia Therapeutics this week make their hope more realistic than ever. The company’s Crispr therapy was able to significantly lower patients’ levels of a misfolded liver protein and keep them low for months.

This comes as very good news for many biotech companies racing to develop therapies that stop the human liver from making bad-behaving proteins.