CAMBRIDGE, Mass., and MILAN, Italy, June 6, 2017 (GLOBEWIRE) – Intellia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NTLA), a leading genome editing company, and San Raffaele University and Research Hospital, a leading scientific institution, have entered into a three-year research collaboration, option and license agreement to engineer optimized T cell cancer therapies. The goal of the collaboration is to discover innovative tools to target tough-to-treat cancers, while leveraging Intellia’s propietary CRISPR/Cas9 platform to generate next-generation T cell therapies that will address unmet needs in both hematological and solid tumors. Professor Chiara Bonini, Head of San Raffaele’s Experimental Hematology Unit and Deputy Director of the Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, will lead the scientific work at San Raffaele.The collaboration marks the first external partnership of Intellia’s eXtellia division. eXtellia’s long-term strategy is focused on advancing new generations of engineered cell therapies through the unique and proprietary applications of CRISPR genome editing. eXtellia was established in 2016, and has identified its initial areas of focus as immuno-oncology and auto-immunity, where genome-edited cell therapy offers a potentially powerful and differentiated therapeutic modality. The agreement also includes options and licenses to key technologies for production of engineered cell therapies developed at San Raffaele.“Through this collaboration, eXtellia aims to apply CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in a multi-faceted way to modulate the fundamental properties of engineered immune cells and amplify their anti-cancer properties far beyond current applications,” said Andrew Schiermeier, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, eXtellia. “San Raffaele and Dr. Bonini are recognized globally as leaders in cell therapy and immuno-oncology, with excellent track records in translating innovative research into approved therapies. We aspire to one day cure cancer in patients who are fighting everyday with few or no treatment options.”“T cell therapy has recently produced impressive results in clinical trials in specific cancer types. However, to realize the full potential of T cell therapy, including in a broader set of cancer types, next generation cellular products are needed,” said Professor Chiara Bonini. “Intellia’s leadership in genome editing will be critical to achieve this goal and shape this new class of ‘living drugs’.”About San Raffaele University and Research HospitalOspedale San Raffaele is a research-university hospital established in 1971 to provide international-level specialised care for the most complex and difficult health conditions. Since 2012, it is part of San Donato Hospital Group, the leading hospital group in Italy. San Raffaele is a multi-speciality center with over 50 clinical specialties and over 1,300 beds. Research focuses on integrating basic, translational and clinical activities to provide the most advanced care to its patients. For further information, visit: hsr.it.About Intellia TherapeuticsIntellia Therapeutics is a leading genome editing company focused on the development of proprietary, potentially curative therapeutics using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Intellia believes the CRISPR/Cas9 technology has the potential to transform medicine by permanently editing disease-associated genes in the human body with a single treatment course. Our combination of deep scientific, technical and clinical development experience, along with our leading intellectual property portfolio, puts us in a unique position to unlock broad therapeutic applications of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology and create a new class of therapeutic products. Learn more about Intellia Therapeutics and CRISPR/Cas9 at intelliatx.com; Follow us on Twitter @intelliatweets.Source: http://www.intelliatx.com/intellia_therapeutics_and_san_raffa/