Insights (Another Biotech Unicorn)

Another biotech unicorn is made… 

Biotech company Mammoth Biosciences just hit unicorn status after getting $195 million in funding this year. Mammoth Biosciences uses CRISPR technology for molecular diagnostics. In other words, it uses CRISPR to test for genetic diseases. Notably, it was co-founded by Jennifer Doudna, who was one of the original inventors of CRISPR technology back in 2012.  

The company has done a lot of research on genetic engineering but hasn’t quite picked out the direction it wants to go yet. What we do know is it aims to create treatments for tissues that are hard to target, such as the central nervous system or lungs. And Mammoth Bio has already inked deals with Agilent and GlaxoSmithKline. 

It’s a name to watch in the space.  What makes Mammoth so compelling is that it develops very small enzymes – Cas-14 and Casɸ. These small gene editing treatments are better able to fit into delivery vehicles and pack more features in the treatment. This is important since Mammoth plans to create in vivo therapeutic approaches. 

For in vivo therapies, we inject the treatment directly into a body part or organ. It is simpler and cheaper to administer the CRISPR technology in this way. It is also believed to lead to higher levels of efficacy in delivering the payload and addressing the disease. It contrasts ex vivo therapies, in which cells are extracted, edited, and reinserted.