On November 1, 2016 Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTLA), a leading genome editing company focused on the development of potentially curative therapeutics using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, reported results for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 and provided an update on recent highlights and upcoming events (Press release, Intellia Therapeutics, NOV 1, 2016, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2218160 [SID1234516144]).

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"We have demonstrated substantial progress in our research, including being the first company to present data showing high levels of in vivo editing in animal models using systemic lipid nanoparticles to deliver CRISPR/Cas9 components," said Nessan Bermingham, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Intellia Therapeutics. "We continue to make further enhancements and remain focused on advancing the development of CRISPR/Cas9-based therapeutics for patients with severe unmet medical needs."

Recent Highlights

Intellia presented preclinical data demonstrating in vivo gene editing using lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to deliver CRISPR/Cas9. These data were presented at the Genome Engineering: The CRISPR/Cas Revolution meeting in Cold Spring Harbor, New York. In several preclinical studies, the data showed:
Progress in achieving in vivo editing, reporting an efficiency of approximately 60 percent in mouse liver at the transthyretin (TTR) target site after a single intravenous administration, which was consistent across different lobes of the liver. This resulted in an associated decrease in serum TTR protein levels of up to approximately 80 percent;
Dose-dependent editing by LNP delivery;
Undetectable Cas9 mRNA and guide RNA (gRNA) in the liver at 72 hours post administration; and
Repair patterns in mouse liver cells in vivo being best predicted in vitro by primary mouse liver cells rather than cell lines.

Intellia presented four posters at the recent European Society for Gene and Cell Therapy Congress (ESGCT) in Florence, Italy. The data presentations included an update on the Company’s in vivo delivery and DNA repair data and new methods for analyzing off-target activity. In its presentation on off-target analysis, Intellia described improved computational methods for readily identifying guide RNAs with zero to few off-target events, an essential step in developing CRISPR/Cas9-based therapeutics.
Third Quarter 2016 Financial Results

As of September 30, 2016, Intellia had $290.6 million in cash and cash equivalents. Net loss for the third quarter 2016 was $7.5 million, compared to $3.0 million in the same period in 2015.

Collaboration revenue was $4.9 million in the third quarter 2016, compared to $1.7 million in the same period of 2015. For the Novartis collaboration, Intellia recognized $2.0 million and $1.7 million in the third quarters of 2016 and 2015, respectively. The Regeneron collaboration, announced in April 2016, for which the Company recognized $2.9 million in the third quarter of 2016, was the primary driver of the increase in collaboration revenue.

Research and development expenses in the third quarter 2016 were $7.9 million, compared to $3.5 million in the same period in 2015. This increase in expenses is primarily attributable to accelerating the development of our CRISPR/Cas9 platform and advancing our sentinel indications. These expenses include compensation and benefits for employees, including equity-based compensation, and expansion of Intellia’s facilities and laboratories.

General and administrative expenses were $4.7 million in the third quarter of 2016, compared to $1.5 million for the same period in 2015. The increase in general and administrative expenses is primarily driven by expenses to support the Company’s overall growth and costs associated with being a publicly traded company.

Upcoming Events

Intellia will present at the Fortune Brainstorm Health 2016 Conference in San Diego on November 2, 2016, the Credit Suisse Healthcare Conference in Arizona on November 7, 2016, and the Jefferies 2016 Healthcare Conference in London on November 16, 2016.