A richly funded CRISPR alternative has a reproducibility problem

Back in 2016, a company called Homology Medicines came into the world with the claim that its scientists had built a better mousetrap for genome editing, using viruses to tinker with DNA in vivo instead of CRISPR’ing cells in a lab.

That brought millions in venture dollars, a $144 million IPO, and a nearly $1 billion market cap.

At least until Thursday, which is when researchers at the University of Southern California disclosed that they tried to reproduce Homology’s foundational paper and found the task impossible, casting doubt on the claims upon which the company is built. Homology’s share price fell about 20% Thursday and dipped another 7% Friday morning.

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