Scribe Therapeutics has secured more than $25 million in CIRM funding to advance two CRISPR-based cardiometabolic gene editing programmes towards clinical trials.

Scribe Therapeutics has received multi-year awards from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to support two preclinical CRISPR programmes, STX-1200 and STX-1400, both focused on cardiometabolic disease. The funding is intended to help move the assets towards first-in-human studies.

The programmes sit within Scribe’s broader cardiovascular pipeline and are designed as potential single-dose gene editing therapies targeting genetically driven lipid disorders. STX-1200 is aimed at lowering lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] by targeting the LPA gene, while STX-1400 is designed to reduce triglyceride-rich lipoproteins through APOC3 gene editing.

Lp(a) is a well-established genetic risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, while elevated triglycerides are associated with acute pancreatitis and rare lipid disorders such as familial chylomicronemia syndrome. Both programmes are positioned as durable genetic interventions that could potentially reduce long-term cardiovascular risk.

Benjamin Oakes, chief executive officer of Scribe Therapeutics, said: “We are proud to share that two of Scribe’s CRISPR-based genetic medicine approaches have been recognized by CIRM for their strong therapeutic potential to address cardiovascular disease for millions of patients”

The company also emphasised its aim to develop one-time genetic medicines that could provide long-term disease modification rather than chronic treatment. The CIRM awards were issued through its Preclinical Development Program, which is designed to support California-based research moving towards clinical development.

Lisa McGinley, senior science officer for preclinical development at CIRM, said: “Genetic medicines such as those being developed by Scribe could be life-changing for the millions of people in California and the world who have genetic predisposition to forms of heart disease.”

Both STX-1200 and STX-1400 are still in preclinical development and have not yet entered clinical trials. They join Scribe’s broader pipeline, which includes its lead in vivo CRISPR programme STX-1150.

From a market perspective, the announcement reinforces continued investor and institutional interest in in vivo gene editing platforms targeting common cardiometabolic diseases, particularly where lifelong risk is strongly genetically driven. However, as with most CRISPR-based programmes at this stage, key uncertainties remain around delivery, durability in humans, and long-term safety.

If the programmes progress successfully into clinical testing, they would represent part of a wider shift in gene editing strategy from rare disease applications towards more prevalent cardiovascular conditions.