Arbor Biotechnologies is trimming its early-stage discovery work, leading to layoffs in the group.
The move was confirmed by an Arbor spokesperson, with CEO Devyn Smith saying in a statement to Endpoints News on Friday that the company is prioritizing clinical-stage investments.
“We are keenly focused on delivering new medicines and will strategically shift resources and efforts accordingly to support the transition to a clinical-stage company,” Smith said. The company did not disclose how many employees were laid off.
The gene editing company was born out of the lab of CRISPR scientist Feng Zhang and launched in 2018 with a $15.6 million Series A. As the potential of gene editing grew, the company attracted more investors, closing a $215 million Series B round in 2021. The financing was co-led by Temasek, Ally Bridge Group, and TCG Crossover.
The company said then that the capital would be used not only to advance programs into the clinic, but also to continue investing in a “novel discovery engine to develop the next generation of gene editing technology.”
Earlier this year, Arbor bought another Zhang-founded biotech, Serendipity Bioscience, though financial details about the acquisition were undisclosed. The purchase allowed Arbor access to additional gene editing technology based around enzymes that are smaller than Cas9. The hope is that these could be used in different delivery methods that can’t accommodate the Cas9 protein.
Arbor’s lead program, ABO-101, is currently in IND-enabling studies as a treatment for primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1), a condition marked by abnormally high levels of oxalate in urine. This can increase the risk of certain kinds of kidney stones and in severe cases can cause kidney failure.
Arbor presented preclinical data of ABO-101 in May, finding that it had “highly specific targeting of the HAO1 gene” in non-human primates that produced a “therapeutically relevant reduction in urinary oxalate.” Another liver-aimed program to treat transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) remains in the discovery stage.
Three other CNS programs are also listed in the program, two of which are in the lead optimization phase. All three are being developed as potential treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.