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Gene editing therapies are seen to have huge scope in treating a
range of diseases but none are currently approved. Additionally,
concerns about safety and the permanent harmful effects the
editing could have on humans persist.
It will be years before Verve is able to market its therapies,
but the company intends to use funds from its Series A to begin
early testing in animals.
The company said it will only develop treatments that involve
editing adult cells, so the effects of genetic manipulation
cannot be passed on to future generations.
Verve plans to target adults at risk of coronary artery disease,
the leading cause of death worldwide, by editing their genes to
mirror those of people whose naturally occurring genes have been
associated with a lower risk of heart disease and heart attacks.
"Poor adherence, costs, side effects, limited access... all
these challenges have limited the impact existing heart
medications like cholesterol-lowering statins have had," Sekar
Kathiresan, who will take over as chief executive officer in
July, told Reuters.
"With our therapy, we could change the treatment paradigm for
heart disease from chronic care, daily pills or monthly
injections to a one-and-done approach."
Besides Alphabet's GV, other investors included ARCH Venture
Partners, F-Prime Capital and Biomatics Capital, the company
said on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Tamara Mathias in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini
Ganguli)
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