Nov 18, 2020

AgBiome gets new sister company, LifeEdit

Cambridge-based cell and gene therapy holding company ElevateBio, and AgBiome, a leader in developing innovative products from natural microbial communities, announced Nov. 16 that LifeEDIT Therapeutics has joined ElevateBio’s growing portfolio of companies.

According to a news release from AgBiome, LifeEDIT Therapeutics combines a highly innovative genome editing platform, derived from AgBiome’s proprietary library of microbes, with ElevateBio’s expertise in the discovery and development of new cell and gene therapies.

LifeEDIT will continue to develop internal cell and gene therapies while further strengthening its platform of diverse genome-editing enzymes and provide gene-editing expertise to strategic partners including ElevateBio portfolio companies, according to the news release. AgBiome retains rights for gene editing in agriculture, animal health, and diagnostics. AgBiome’s products include Howler, a biofungicide for specialty crops.

“LifeEDIT’s genome editing platform is one of the most versatile in the field and was the natural fit as we continue to build a world-leading cell and gene therapy offering,” said Mitchell Finer, president of ElevateBio BaseCamp, and newly-appointed Chief Executive Officer of LifeEDIT Therapeutics.

According to the news release, members of ElevateBio will join the newly formed LifeEDIT Therapeutics management team. The combined executive team will include:

• Mitchell Finer, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, LifeEDIT Therapeutics and President, ElevateBio BaseCamp.
• Tedd Elich, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, LifeEDIT Therapeutics.
• Kareem Reda, Chief Operating Officer, LifeEDIT Therapeutics and Chief Business Officer, ElevateBio.
• Clare Murray, Vice President, Head of Corporate Development and Strategy, LifeEDIT Therapeutics.