Company Description
Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTLA) is a clinical-stage gene editing company that focuses on developing CRISPR-based therapies to address important unmet medical needs. According to the company’s public statements, Intellia is building a new class of medicines by applying CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology to both in vivo and ex vivo therapeutic programs. Its common stock trades on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol NTLA.
Intellia describes itself as a clinical-stage gene editing company that is "focused on revolutionizing medicine with CRISPR-based therapies." Since its inception, the company has concentrated on developing novel, first-in-class medicines that aim to advance the treatment paradigm for patients. Intellia highlights its scientific, technical and clinical development experience as a core strength supporting its CRISPR-based platform.
Core Technology and Therapeutic Approach
Intellia’s programs are based on CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology, which it characterizes as Nobel Prize–winning science. The company’s in vivo programs use CRISPR to enable precise editing of disease-causing genes directly inside the human body. Its ex vivo programs use CRISPR to engineer human cells outside the body for therapeutic use, including in areas such as cancer and autoimmune diseases, as described in company communications.
To harness what it calls the full potential of gene editing, Intellia reports that it is expanding the capabilities of its CRISPR-based platform with novel editing and delivery technologies. Across its disclosures and press releases, the company consistently emphasizes the goal of one-time, potentially durable treatments enabled by in vivo gene editing.
Key Investigational Programs
Public filings and press releases identify two major investigational in vivo CRISPR-based therapies in Intellia’s pipeline:
- Nexiguran ziclumeran ("nex-z", also known as NTLA-2001) – an investigational in vivo CRISPR-based therapy in development as a one-time treatment for transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis. Nex-z is designed to inactivate the TTR gene in the liver, which encodes the transthyretin (TTR) protein. Company data from Phase 1 studies in hereditary ATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy (ATTRv-PN) and ATTR amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) have shown deep, durable and consistent reductions in serum TTR levels following a single dose, along with trends toward stability or improvement in multiple disease-related clinical and biomarker measures, based on the reported results.
- Lonvoguran ziclumeran ("lonvo-z", also known as NTLA-2002) – an investigational in vivo CRISPR-based therapy in development as a one-time treatment for hereditary angioedema (HAE). Lonvo-z is designed to inactivate the KLKB1 gene in the liver, which encodes prekallikrein, the precursor of kallikrein. In a Phase 1/2 trial, pooled data reported by the company show deep, stable and durable reductions in plasma kallikrein and a high proportion of patients who were attack-free and free from long-term prophylaxis over extended follow-up after a one-time 50 mg dose, with a safety profile the company describes as well tolerated in the reported period.
Intellia leads development and commercialization of nex-z as part of a multi-target discovery, development and commercialization collaboration with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., according to its disclosures. Lonvo-z is described as a wholly owned program of Intellia.
Clinical Development and Regulatory Designations
The company’s disclosures describe an extensive clinical development effort around these gene editing candidates:
- For nex-z, Intellia reports an ongoing global Phase 1 trial in ATTRv-PN and ATTR-CM, as well as Phase 3 MAGNITUDE and MAGNITUDE-2 trials for ATTR-CM and ATTRv-PN, respectively. The company has reported that nex-z has received Orphan Drug and Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and an Orphan Drug Designation from the European Commission.
- For lonvo-z, Intellia reports an ongoing global Phase 1/2 trial and a global Phase 3 HAELO trial in adults with HAE Types I or II. The company states that lonvo-z has received several notable regulatory designations, including Orphan Drug and RMAT Designation by the FDA, the Innovation Passport by the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Priority Medicines (PRIME) Designation by the European Medicines Agency, and Orphan Drug Designation by the European Commission.
In its public updates, Intellia has also reported that the FDA placed a clinical hold on the Investigational New Drug applications for the Phase 3 MAGNITUDE and MAGNITUDE-2 trials of nex-z following a Grade 4 liver transaminase and bilirubin event in a patient in the MAGNITUDE trial. The company has stated that it temporarily paused dosing and screening in these trials and intends to work with the FDA to address the clinical hold.
Disease Areas of Focus
Intellia’s disclosed programs target serious and often rare diseases with significant unmet medical needs:
- Transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis – a rare, progressive and fatal disease characterized by misfolded TTR protein forming amyloid deposits. Company materials describe hereditary ATTR (ATTRv) amyloidosis, driven by mutations in the TTR gene, and wild-type ATTR (ATTRwt) amyloidosis, in which non-mutated TTR becomes unstable over time. Manifestations include polyneuropathy (ATTRv-PN) and cardiomyopathy (ATTRv-CM), with complications involving the heart, nerves and other organs.
- Hereditary angioedema (HAE) – a condition marked by recurrent, unpredictable swelling attacks and the need for ongoing treatment. Intellia’s lonvo-z program is designed to reduce or eliminate HAE attacks by editing the KLKB1 gene to lower kallikrein levels after a one-time treatment, based on the company’s description.
Beyond these lead indications, Intellia states that its in vivo programs use CRISPR to edit disease-causing genes directly in the body, while its ex vivo programs engineer human cells for conditions such as cancer and autoimmune diseases. The company positions its CRISPR platform as expandable through new editing and delivery technologies.
Corporate and Capital Markets Profile
Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. is incorporated in the United States and lists its common stock on The Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker NTLA, as noted in its SEC filings. The company regularly reports financial results, clinical updates and other material events through press releases and Current Reports on Form 8-K. It has also disclosed the use of equity inducement grants under a 2024 Inducement Plan as a material inducement to employment, in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).
In its financial disclosures, Intellia has highlighted collaboration revenue, research and development expenses, and general and administrative expenses, as well as its cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities position, which it has linked to its ability to fund operations and advance its clinical programs.
Intellia’s Role in Gene Editing
Across its public communications, Intellia presents itself as helping to set the standard for a new class of medicine based on CRISPR gene editing. The company emphasizes its deep scientific, technical and clinical development experience, and its ongoing efforts to expand its CRISPR-based platform. Its focus on in vivo one-time treatments and ex vivo engineered cell therapies positions Intellia within the broader field of gene editing and genomic medicine as a clinical-stage developer of CRISPR-based therapeutics.