CoRegen: One gene knockout, many solid tumors

CoRegen is preparing to dose its first patients with an autologous, CRISPR-edited regulatory T cell (Treg) therapy after clearing an IND last month. The biotech is betting that knocking out a single gene can reverse the role Tregs normally play in suppressing immune responses, preventing tumors from using the cells to evade immune attack.

The Houston-based company's lead program, CRG-150, involves extracting a patient's own Tregs, using CRISPR-Cas9 to knock out SRC3, and reinfusing the edited cells. The idea is that the modification would strip them of their suppressive function in the tumor microenvironment, allowing effector immune cells to move in. ...