ElevateBio Collaborates with AWS to Broaden the Potential of CRISPR Gene Editing Therapies with Generative AI
ElevateBio will leverage artificial intelligence to expand and accelerate CRISPR discovery, design, and drug development for thousands of complex monogenic and polygenic diseases
Generative AI combined with ElevateBio Life Edit's immense library of CRISPR systems and proprietary data from experiments will drive the synthesis and optimization of novel CRISPR drugs for genetic diseases
WALTHAM, Mass., March 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ElevateBio, a technology-driven company focused on powering the creation of life-transforming genetic medicines, announced a multi-year collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to accelerate the discovery and development of CRISPR gene editing therapeutics through generative artificial intelligence (AI). ElevateBio aims to broaden the range of diseases addressable by gene editing therapies by combining the gene editing technologies and large CRISPR dataset of ElevateBio Life Edit – the Company's gene editing and R&D technology business – with AWS's advanced computing capabilities.
Under the collaboration, Life Edit will leverage AWS's cloud infrastructure and SageMaker, which integrates machine learning and analytics, to train and execute its state-of-the-art protein language models (PLMs) at scale. This will enable Life Edit to rapidly analyze and interpret vast amounts of protein and proprietary experimental data to identify, design, and optimize new CRISPR systems more efficiently than traditional methods.
'Our collaboration with AWS marks a leap forward in our mission to make transformative genetic medicines a reality for patients around the world,' said David Hallal, Chairman & CEO of ElevateBio. 'The first wave of CRISPR therapies has focused on a small number of monogenic diseases caused by single-gene mutations. By bringing together AWS's powerful cloud computing and AI solutions with our CRISPR dataset, we are taking on the challenge of expanding CRISPR's application to thousands of more complex monogenic disorders as well as polygenic diseases, paving the way for potentially curative treatments across therapeutic areas.'
CRISPR gene editing enables precise modifications to DNA, offering new possibilities for treating genetic disorders. The Life Edit gene editing platform is available to make a broad spectrum of edits – including base editing and reverse transcriptase editing – for the development of ex vivo and in vivo therapies. This collaboration will expand efforts to optimize and generate custom CRISPR therapies for genetic disease, both for partners and for internal pipeline development, with a focus on two key areas:
CRISPR discovery and design: Life Edit is analyzing its immense library of CRISPR systems, one of the largest in the industry, as well as data generated through experiments, to accelerate the discovery and design of both naturally occurring and synthetic custom CRISPR systems. Through a proof-of-concept project that leveraged AWS's infrastructure – including GPUs (graphics processing units) on Amazon EC2, Amazon S3, and Amazon SageMaker AI Studio – to share and power PLM evaluations with reduced complexity, Life Edit has already demonstrated an expansion of its protein discovery capabilities while significantly decreasing costs.
Target optimization: Using a combination of PLM-driven active learning and Life Edit's screens for DNA binding, nuclease activity, base editing, reverse transcriptase editing, and off-target activity, Life Edit is performing targeted protein optimization to design the best CRISPR proteins and improve their therapeutic potential.
'AWS is working with the team at ElevateBio to advance the field of CRISPR gene editing and bring the promise of personalized medicine closer to reality,' said Eric Zimmerman, Principal, Healthcare & Life Sciences Business Development, at AWS. 'By using AWS as the infrastructure for their CRISPR platform and to power their generative AI work, ElevateBio is combining in silico research with in vitro and in vivo data in the pursuit of developing life-saving therapies for patients.'
By integrating cutting-edge technology with deep scientific knowledge, ElevateBio Life Edit is dedicated to transforming the field of gene editing and unlocking the technology's full potential to provide life-changing treatments to patients in need.
About ElevateBio
ElevateBio is a technology-driven company built to power transformative genetic medicines today and for many decades to come. The Company commercializes its enabling technologies, manufacturing capabilities, and industry-leading expertise through partnerships to accelerate development across a breadth of therapeutic approaches and modalities. The ElevateBio ecosystem combines Life Edit, its gene editing and R&D technology business – which includes a full-spectrum gene editing platform; cell and RNA engineering technologies; and a viral and non-viral therapeutic delivery platform – with BaseCamp®, its end-to-end genetic medicine cGMP manufacturing and process development business, to accelerate the discovery and development of advanced therapeutics.
ElevateBio aims to be the dominant engine inside the world's greatest scientific advancements harnessing human cells and genes to alter disease. For more, visit www.elevate.bio or follow ElevateBio on LinkedIn or X.
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