CRISPR Therapeutics files for IPO
Gene editing company CRISPR Therapeutics AG (Basel, Switzerland) filed to raise up to $90 million in an IPO on NASDAQ underwritten by Citigroup, Piper Jaffray, Barclays and Guggenheim. In June, CRISPR Therapeutics added $38 million to its series B round, bringing the round's total to about $140 million (see BioCentury Extra, June 24).
The company's most advanced gene editing programs are focused on ex vivo approaches for hemoglobinopathies. In October 2015, the biotech began a four-year research collaboration with Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTX) to discover and develop therapies for cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease and other disorders. In December 2015, CRISPR Therapeutics created a joint venture with Bayer AG (Xetra:BAYN) focused on blood disorders, blindness and congenital heart disease. ...