Genome editing startup Beam Therapeutics was already trying to go public in a tough market for biotech companies. This week brought a new complication: explaining to potential investors why your co-founder just launched a rival startup.
Beam is based on a newfangled approach to CRISPR called base editing, invented by Broad Institute researcher David Liu, that allows scientists to change individual letters of DNA. The two-year-old company, which counts Liu as a co-founder, filed to raise $100 million in an initial public offering in September.
Then on Monday, a month into Beam’s IPO roadshow, came news of a seemingly more powerful CRISPR tool, called prime editing. The awkward part: Liu is the inventor of prime editing, and he started a company called Prime Medicine to turn it into new medicines.
To submit a correction request, please visit our Contact Us page.
STAT encourages you to share your voice. We welcome your commentary, criticism, and expertise on our subscriber-only platform, STAT+ Connect