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CRISPR Therapeutics AG (CRSP) FY 2024 MD&A

Verbatim Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis from CRISPR Therapeutics AG's 10-K for fiscal year 2024. Filing date: 2025-02-11. Report date: 2024-12-31. Accession: 0000950170-25-017899.

This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.

Extracted from a substantive MD&A body after the formal Item 7 span was a TOC or reference stub. Confidence: high.

Company profile: CRSP · All MD&A years: index · Previous year: FY 2023 · Next year: FY 2025

Overview

Our mission is to create transformative gene-based medicines for serious human diseases. We are a leading gene editing company focused on the development of CRISPR-based therapeutics, including by using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. CRISPR/Cas9 is a revolutionary technology for gene editing, the process of precisely altering specific sequences of genomic DNA. We aim to apply this technology to disrupt, delete, correct and insert genes to treat genetic diseases and to engineer advanced cellular therapies. We have advanced this technology from discovery to an approved medicine with unparalleled speed, culminating in the landmark first approval of a CRISPR-based therapy, CASGEVY (exagamglogene autotemcel [exa-cel]), in 2023 with our collaborators at Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, or Vertex. We have established a portfolio of therapeutic programs spanning four core franchises: hemoglobinopathies, CAR T, in vivo approaches and type 1 diabetes. Depending on the program, we take either an ex vivo approach, in which we edit cells outside of the human body before administering them to the patient, or an in vivo editing approach, where we deliver the CRISPR-based therapeutic directly to target cells within the human body.

We continue to innovate on our platform to develop next-generation technologies that can enable new therapies. Through our efforts, we aim to unlock the full potential of CRISPR-based therapeutics to create medicines that can transform people's lives. We believe that our innovative research, translational expertise, and clinical development experience, position us as a leader in the development of CRISPR-based therapeutics and may enable us to create an entirely new class of highly effective and potentially curative therapies for patients with both rare and common diseases for whom current biopharmaceutical approaches have had limited success.

Hemoglobinopathies

CASGEVY

CASGEVY is a non-viral, ex vivo CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edited cell therapy, in which a patient’s own hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells are edited at the erythroid specific enhancer region of the BCL11A gene through a precise double-strand break. This edit results in the production of high levels of fetal hemoglobin in red blood cells, which can compensate for the defective adult hemoglobin in patients with SCD and TDT. CASGEVY is the first therapy to emerge from our strategic partnership with Vertex and is being advanced under a joint development and commercialization agreement between us and Vertex and certain of its affiliates.

In 2023, CASGEVY became the first-ever approved CRISPR-based gene-editing therapy in the world. To date, CASGEVY has been approved in the United States, European Union, Great Britain, Canada, Switzerland, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of

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Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates for the treatment of eligible patients 12 years and older with SCD or TDT. We and Vertex continue to investigate CASGEVY, including (1) three clinical trials designed to assess the safety and efficacy of a single dose of CASGEVY in patients 12 to 35 years of age with severe SCD and TDT, respectively, (2) two clinical trials in patients 5 to 11 years of age, one in severe SCD and a second in TDT, and (3) long-term follow-up clinical trials designed to follow participants for up to 15 years after CASGEVY infusion. CASGEVY safety data presented to date is generally consistent with an autologous stem cell transplant and myeloablative conditioning. Efficacy data presented to date support the profile of this therapy as a potential one-time functional cure for people with severe SCD and TDT.

Additional Candidates

We continue to advance our internally developed targeted conditioning program, as well as in vivo hematopoietic stem cell editing approaches utilizing lipid nanoparticle-mediated delivery through preclinical studies. Both initiatives could significantly expand the addressable patient populations for SCD and TDT.

CAR T

We believe CRISPR/Cas9 has the potential to create the next generation of CAR T cell therapies that may have a superior product profile and allow broader patient access compared to current autologous therapies. We are advancing several cell therapy programs for oncology and/or autoimmune indications, including two next-generation allogeneic CAR T programs, CTX112 targeting Cluster of Differentiation 19, or CD19, and CTX131 targeting Cluster of Differentiation 70, or CD70. These product candidates incorporate edits designed to enhance CAR T potency, reduce CAR T exhaustion and evade the immune system. An additional edit in CTX131 is designed to prevent CAR T cells from killing other CAR T cells. In addition, these next-generation candidates exhibit increased manufacturing robustness, with a higher and more consistent number of CAR T cells produced per batch. We are producing CTX112 and CTX131 for clinical trials at our internal GMP manufacturing facility in Framingham, Massachusetts.

CD19 Candidates

CTX112 is being developed for both hematologic malignancies and autoimmune indications. It is being investigated in an ongoing clinical trial designed to assess the safety and efficacy of the product candidate in adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies who have received at least two prior lines of therapy, as well as an ongoing clinical trial in adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, and inflammatory myositis. Early clinical studies conducted by third parties have shown that CD19-directed autologous CAR T therapy can produce long-lasting remissions in multiple autoimmune indications by deeply depleting B cells. Our first generation allogeneic CD19-directed CAR T program has demonstrated effective depletion of B cells in oncology settings, which supports the potential for CTX112 in autoimmune diseases.

CD70 Candidates

CTX131 is being developed for both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. It is being investigated in ongoing clinical trials designed to assess the safety and efficacy of the candidate in adult patients with relapsed or refractory solid tumors, as well as in hematologic malignancies, including, including T cell lymphomas, or TCL. We believe allogeneic CAR T approaches for TCL may have greater potential to meet the unmet need in this patient population given the patients’ own T cells are not suitable for autologous manufacturing.

Additional candidates

Our CRISPR/Cas9 platform enables us to innovate continuously by incorporating incremental edits into next-generation products. We are advancing several additional investigational CAR T programs, including an autologous, gene-edited CAR T program targeting glypican-3 for the potential treatment of solid tumors.

In Vivo

Our in vivo gene editing strategy focuses on gene disruption and whole gene correction – the two technologies required to address the vast majority of the most prevalent severe monogenic diseases as well as many common diseases. We have established a leading platform for in vivo gene editing and are rapidly advancing a broad portfolio of in vivo programs, supported by an internal lipid nanoparticle, or LNP, team to enable liver-directed and extrahepatic programs with novel lipids, formulations, and targeting moieties. Our first in vivo programs target the liver, taking advantage of validated LNP delivery technologies, and aim to treat diseases where we can produce a strong therapeutic effect by safely disrupting a gene with well-understood genetic association.

Cardiovascular disease

Our first two in vivo programs utilizing our proprietary LNP platform, CTX310 and CTX320, aim to address cardiovascular disease by disrupting the validated targets angiopoietin-like protein 3, or ANGPTL3, and lipoprotein (a), or Lp(a), respectively. CTX310 is being investigated in an ongoing clinical trial targeting ANGPTL3 in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, mixed dyslipidemias, or severe hypertriglyceridemia. In addition,

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CTX320 is being investigated in an ongoing clinical trial targeting LPA, the gene encoding apo(a), a critical component of Lp(a) in patients with elevated Lp(a), which has shown to have an independent association with major adverse cardiovascular events.

Additional candidates

Building upon CTX310 and CTX320, we are progressing CTX340, targeting angiotensinogen for refractory hypertension, as well as CTX450, targeting 5’-aminolevulinate synthase 1 for acute hepatic porphyria, through preclinical studies. In addition, we have programs focused on gene correction in the liver, including programs leveraging technologies developed by our CRISPR-X research team. Finally, we are pursuing additional delivery technologies, including LNPs, for delivery to tissues beyond the liver, including hematopoietic stem cells.

Type 1 Diabetes

We are developing gene-edited stem cell-derived therapies for the treatment of T1D. We believe our gene editing capabilities have the potential to enable a beta-cell replacement product candidate that may deliver durable benefit to patients without the need for long-term immunosuppression. We have three parallel efforts to achieve this goal: (1) CTX211, an allogeneic, gene-edited, hypoimmune, stem cell derived product candidate in a device that is implanted into patients and intended to produce insulin in a glucose-dependent manner, and which is in an ongoing clinical trial; (2) CTX213, a research stage deviceless beta cell replacement product candidate consisting of unencapsulated precursor islet cells derived from edited stem cells; and (3) we have granted a non-exclusive license to certain of our CRISPR/Cas9 intellectual property to Vertex to accelerate Vertex’s development of hypoimmune cell therapies for T1D in exchange for certain milestones and royalties.

CRISPR-X

While we have made significant progress with our current portfolio of programs, we recognize that we need to continue to innovate to unlock the full power of gene editing and bring potentially transformative therapies to even more patients. We have a dedicated early-stage research team called CRISPR-X that focuses on innovating next-generation editing modalities. CRISPR-X is developing technologies to enable whole gene correction and insertion via non-viral DNA delivery and all-RNA systems, without requiring homology-directed repair or viral delivery of DNA.

Partnerships

Given the numerous potential therapeutic applications for CRISPR/Cas9, we have partnered strategically to broaden the indications we can pursue and accelerate development of programs by accessing specific technologies and/or disease-area expertise. We maintain broad partnerships to develop gene editing-based therapeutics in specific disease areas. For additional information regarding certain of these partnerships, please see “Business—Strategic Partnerships and Collaborations.”

Hemoglobinopathies. In 2015, we partnered with Vertex and entered into a strategic collaboration, option and license agreement, which focused on the discovery and development of gene-based treatments for hemoglobinopathies and cystic fibrosis using CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology. In 2017, Vertex exercised its option to co-develop and co-commercialize the hemoglobinopathies program and we entered into a joint development and commercialization agreement with Vertex, which we amended and restated in 2021, pursuant to which, among other things, we are co-developing and co-commercializing CASGEVY for TDT and SCD.

Diabetes. Beginning in 2018, we partnered with ViaCyte, Inc., or ViaCyte (now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vertex), to pursue the discovery, development and commercialization of gene-edited allogeneic stem cell therapies for the treatment of diabetes. In 2023, ViaCyte elected to opt-out of the collaboration with us for the co-development and co-commercialization of gene-edited stem cell therapies for the treatment of diabetes. Per the opt-out terms, the on-going collaboration assets will be wholly owned by us, subject to a royalty on future sales owed to ViaCyte. Our product candidate, CTX211, being developed for the potential treatment of T1D, resulted from this collaboration, and which we are continuing to advance in a Phase 1 clinical trial. Additionally, in 2023, we entered into a non-exclusive license agreement with Vertex for Vertex to utilize certain of our gene-editing intellectual property to exploit certain products for the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of diabetes type 1, diabetes type 2 or insulin dependent/requiring diabetes throughout the world. To date, we have recognized revenue of $205 million in upfront and milestone payments and remain eligible to receive additional research and development milestones and royalties on future products under the license.

Other Partnerships. We have entered into a number of additional collaborations and license agreements in other therapeutic areas, including an additional agreement with Vertex for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and myotonic dystrophy type 1, and others to support and complement our hematopoietic stem cell, CAR T, in vivo and T1D programs and platform, including agreements with: Nkarta, Inc. to develop and commercialize products leveraging donor-derived, gene-edited CAR-NK cells; Capsida Biotherapeutics, Inc. to develop in vivo gene editing therapies delivered with engineered adeno-associated virus vectors; Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center to advance a gene-edited autologous CAR T program against a new target; MaxCyte, Inc. on ex vivo delivery for our hemoglobinopathy and CAR T programs; CureVac AG on optimized mRNA constructs and manufacturing for certain in vivo programs; and KSQ Therapeutics, Inc. on intellectual property for our allogeneic immuno-oncology programs.

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Financial Overview

Since our inception in October 2013, we have devoted substantially all of our resources to our research and development efforts, identifying potential product candidates, undertaking drug discovery and preclinical development activities, building and protecting our intellectual property estate, establishing internal manufacturing capabilities, organizing and staffing our company, business planning, raising capital and providing general and administrative support for these operations. To date, we have primarily financed our operations through private placements of our preferred shares, common share issuances, convertible loans and payments related to certain of our license and collaboration agreements with strategic partners.

We have a history of recurring losses and expect to continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future; however, we have been in a net income position in certain previous years due to certain payments associated with our collaboration and license agreements with Vertex. Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. We anticipate that our expenses will increase as we continue our current research programs and development activities; seek to identify additional research programs and additional product candidates; conduct initial drug application supporting preclinical studies and initiate clinical trials for our product candidates; initiate preclinical testing and clinical trials for any other product candidates we identify and develop; seek regulatory approval for our product candidates; maintain, defend, protect and expand our intellectual property estate; further develop our gene editing platform; hire additional research, clinical and scientific personnel; incur facilities costs associated with such personnel growth; continue to develop internal manufacturing capabilities and infrastructure; and incur additional costs associated with operating as a public company.

Revenue recognition

We have not generated any revenue to date from sales of any wholly owned product. During the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, we recognized $35.0 million, $370.0 million and $0.4 million, respectively, of collaboration revenue, which is primarily related to our collaboration and license agreements with Vertex.

For the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, we generated $2.3 million, $1.2 million and $0.8 million, respectively, of grant revenue related to certain contracts with not-for-profit entities.

For additional information about our revenue recognition policy, see Note 2 and Note 8 of the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Research and development expenses

Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred for our research activities, including our product discovery efforts and the development of our product candidates, which include:


employee-related expenses, including salaries, benefits and equity-based compensation expense;


costs of services performed by third parties that conduct research and development and preclinical activities on our behalf;


costs of purchasing lab supplies and non-capital equipment used in our preclinical activities and in manufacturing preclinical study materials, as well as supplies and materials used to manufacture clinical drug material;


consultant fees;


facility costs, including rent, depreciation and maintenance expenses; and


fees and other payments related to acquiring and maintaining licenses under our third-party licensing agreements.

Our external research and development expenses support our various preclinical and clinical programs, and as such we do not break down external research and development expenses further. Our internal research and development expenses consist of payroll and benefits expenses, facilities expense, and other indirect research and development expenses incurred in support of overall research and development activities and as such are not allocated to a specific development stage or therapeutic area. Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Nonrefundable advance payments for research and development goods or services to be received in the future are deferred and capitalized. The capitalized amounts are expensed as the related goods are delivered or the services are performed. At this time, we cannot reasonably estimate or know the nature, timing or estimated costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the development of any product candidates we may identify and develop. This is due to the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with developing such product candidates, including the uncertainty of:


successful completion of preclinical studies and IND-enabling studies;


successful enrollment in, and completion of, clinical trials;


receipt of marketing approvals from applicable regulatory authorities;


establishing commercial manufacturing capabilities or making arrangements with third-party manufacturers;


obtaining and maintaining patent and trade secret protection and non-patent exclusivity;

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launching commercial sales of the product, if and when approved, whether alone or in collaboration with others;


acceptance of the product, if and when approved, by patients, the medical community and third-party payors;


effectively competing with other therapies and treatment options;


a continued acceptable safety profile following approval;


enforcing and defending intellectual property and proprietary rights and claims; and


achieving desirable medicinal properties for the intended indications.

A change in the outcome of any of these variables with respect to the development of any product candidates or the subsequent commercialization of any product candidates we may successfully develop could significantly change the costs, timing and viability associated with the development of that product candidate.

Research and development activities are central to our business model. We expect to continue to incur research and development costs consistent with research and development at companies of our size and stage of development, which may increase in the foreseeable future as our current development programs progress, new programs are added and we continue to prepare regulatory filings. These increases will likely include the costs related to the implementation and expansion of clinical trial sites and related patient enrollment, monitoring, program management and manufacturing expenses for current and future clinical trials.

General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of employee related expenses, including salaries, benefits and equity-based compensation, for personnel in executive, finance, accounting, business development, human resources and other general and administrative functions. Other significant costs include facility costs not otherwise included in research and development expenses, legal fees relating to patent and corporate matters and fees for accounting and consulting services.

We expect to continue to incur general and administrative expenses consistent with general and administrative functions at research and development companies of our size and stage of development, which may increase in the future to support continued research and development activities, and potential commercialization of our product candidates. In addition, we anticipate ongoing expenses related to the reimbursements of third-party patent related expenses in connection with certain of our in-licensed intellectual property.

Collaboration expense, net

Collaboration expense, net, consists of operating expenses related to the CASGEVY program under our collaboration with Vertex. Under the A&R Vertex JDCA, as amended, we have an option to defer our portion of specified costs on the CASGEVY program in excess of $110.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The $110.3 million for 2023 does not include amounts attributable to our share of certain costs arising from a license agreement between Vertex and a third party, which we agreed to pay to Vertex upon the occurrence of an event specified in Amendment No. 1 to the A&R Vertex JDCA and further described in Note 8 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In 2024, 2023 and 2022, we exercised our option to defer our portion of specified costs incurred for the CASGEVY program in excess of the deferral limit. Any deferred amounts are only payable to Vertex as an offset against future profitability of the CASGEVY program and the amounts payable are capped at a specified maximum amount per year.

Other income (net)

Other income, net consists primarily of interest income earned on investments.

Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates

This discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our financial statements, which we have prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. We believe that several accounting policies are important to understanding our historical and future performance. We refer to these policies as critical because these specific areas generally require us to make judgments and estimates about matters that are uncertain at the time we make the estimate, and different estimates—which also would have been reasonable—could have been used. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments, including those described in greater detail below. We base our estimates on historical experience and other market-specific or other relevant assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in the notes to our financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe that the following accounting policies are the most critical to aid you in fully understanding and evaluating our financial condition and results of operations.

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Revenue

Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, or ASC 606, applies to all contracts with customers, except for contracts that are within the scope of other standards, such as leases and collaboration arrangements. To determine revenue recognition for arrangements that an entity determines are within the scope of ASC 606, the entity performs the following five steps:

1) Identify the contract with the customer

A contract with a customer exists when (i) we enter into an enforceable contract with a customer that defines each party’s rights regarding the goods or services to be transferred and identifies the related payment terms, (ii) the contract has commercial substance and (iii) we determine that collection of substantially all consideration for goods and services that are transferred is probable based on the customer’s intent and ability to pay the promised consideration.

2) Identify the performance obligations in the contract

Performance obligations promised in a contract are identified based on the goods and services that will be transferred to the customer that are both capable of being distinct, whereby the customer can benefit from the good or service either on its own or together with other available resources, and are distinct in the context of the contract, whereby the transfer of the good or service is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. To the extent a contract includes multiple promised goods and services, we must apply judgment to determine whether promised goods and services are capable of being distinct and distinct in the context of the contract. If these criteria are not met, the promised goods and services are accounted for as a combined performance obligation.

3) Determine the transaction price

The transaction price is determined based on the consideration to which we will be entitled in exchange for transferring goods and services to the customer. To the extent the transaction price includes variable consideration, such as research, development, regulatory and commercial milestones, we determine if it is probable that we will receive such amounts and there is no risk of a significant revenue reversal. When we cannot conclude that receipt of such amounts is probable, we constrain the related variable consideration resulting in its exclusion from transaction consideration. In determining the portion of the transaction consideration to be constrained, we consider the probability and uncertainty that the related research, developmental, regulatory and commercial milestones will be achieved given the nature of research and clinical development and the stage of the underlying programs. This assessment is performed at each reporting period. In making this evaluation, we consider both internal and external information available, including information from industry publications and other relevant factors. Changes to the constraint of variable consideration can have a material effect on the amount of revenue recognized in the period.

4) Allocate the transaction consideration to performance obligations in the contract

If the contract contains a single performance obligation, the entire transaction consideration is allocated to the single performance obligation. Contracts that contain multiple performance obligations require an allocation of the transaction consideration to each performance obligation on a relative standalone selling price basis unless the transaction consideration is variable and meets the criteria to be allocated entirely to a performance obligation or to a distinct service that forms part of a single performance obligation. The consideration to be received is allocated among the separate performance obligations based on relative standalone selling prices. In determining these estimated standalone selling prices, we make a number of significant judgments including, for licenses, management’s assumptions regarding probability weighted projected discounted cash flows for each of the collaboration development programs. The estimated standalone selling prices are sensitive to changes in assumptions, such as probabilities of scientific success, discount rate and certain assumptions that form the basis of forecasted cash flows. In developing these assumptions, management considers both internal and external information available, including information from other guideline companies within the same industry and other relevant factors. Changes to these assumptions can have a material effect on the allocation of the transaction consideration to performance obligations, as well as the amount and timing of revenue recognized.

5) Recognize revenue when or as we satisfy a performance obligation

We satisfy performance obligations over time or at a point in time, depending on the nature of the performance obligation. Revenue is recognized over time if the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided by the entity’s performance, the entity’s performance creates or enhances an asset that the customer controls as the asset is created or enhanced, or the entity’s performance does not create an asset with an alternative use to the entity and the entity has an enforceable right to payment for performance completed to date. If the entity does not satisfy a performance obligation over time, the related performance obligation is satisfied at a point in time by transferring the control of a promised good or service to a customer.

Collaboration Arrangements

We record the elements of our collaboration agreements that represent joint operating activities in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic 808, Collaborative Arrangements, or ASC 808. Accordingly, the elements of the collaboration agreements that represent activities in which both parties are active participants and to which both parties are exposed to the

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significant risks and rewards that are dependent on the commercial success of the activities, are recorded as collaborative arrangements.

We evaluate the proper presentation of the commercial activities and the profit and loss sharing associated with the collaboration agreements. ASC 808 states that when payments between parties in a collaborative arrangement are not within the scope of other authoritative accounting literature, the income statement classification should be based on the nature of the arrangement, the nature of its business operations and the contractual terms of the arrangement. To the extent that these payments are not within the scope of other authoritative accounting literature, the income statement classification for the payments shall be based on an analogy to authoritative accounting literature or if there is no appropriate analogy, a reasonable, rational, and consistently applied accounting policy election.

Accrued research and development expenses

As part of the process of preparing our financial statements, we are required to estimate our accrued expenses. This process involves reviewing open contracts and purchase orders, communicating with our personnel to identify services that have been performed on our behalf and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when we have not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of the actual cost. The majority of our service providers invoice us monthly in arrears for services performed or when contractual milestones are met. We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in our financial statements based on facts and circumstances known to us at that time. Examples of estimated accrued research and development expenses include fees paid to:


CROs in connection with clinical studies;


investigative sites in connection with clinical studies;


vendors in connection with preclinical development activities; and


vendors related to development, manufacturing and distribution of clinical trial materials.

We base our expenses related to clinical studies on our estimates of the services received and efforts expended pursuant to contracts with multiple CROs that conduct and manage clinical studies on our behalf. The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. There may be instances in which payments made to our vendors will exceed the level of services provided and result in a prepayment of the clinical expense. Payments under some of these contracts depend on factors such as the successful enrollment of subjects and the completion of clinical study milestones. In accruing service fees, we estimate the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period and adjust accordingly.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 2 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements.

Results of Operations

The following is a discussion of the components of results of operations. This section generally discusses 2024 and 2023 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2024 and 2023. Discussions of 2022 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2023 and 2022 that are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the SEC on February 21, 2024.

Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2024 and 2023

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, together with the dollar change in those items:

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Years Ended December 31,Period to
20242023Period Change
(in thousands)
Revenue:
Collaboration revenue$35,000$370,000$(335,000)
Grant revenue2,3141,2061,108
Total revenue37,314371,206(333,892)
Operating expenses:
Research and development320,653387,332(66,679)
General and administrative72,97776,162(3,185)
Collaboration expense, net110,250130,250(20,000)
Total operating expenses503,880593,744(89,864)
Loss from operations(466,566)(222,538)(244,028)
Other income, net103,90171,81632,085
Net loss before income taxes(362,665)(150,722)(211,943)
Provision for income taxes(3,587)(2,888)(699)
Net loss$(366,252)$(153,610)$(212,642)

Collaboration Revenue

Collaboration revenue was $35.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $370.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Collaboration revenue for the year ended December 31, 2024 was related to Vertex's achievement of a $10.0 million research milestone and $25.0 million research milestone under the Non-Ex License Agreement with Vertex in the fourth quarter of 2024. Collaboration revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023 was related to (i) the achievement of a $200.0 million milestone in connection with the approval of CASGEVY under our collaboration with Vertex and (ii) an upfront payment of $100.0 million and a milestone achieved of $70.0 million under the Non-Ex License Agreement with Vertex. Refer to Note 8 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a description of revenue recognized related to Vertex.

Grant Revenue

Grant revenue was $2.3 million and $1.2 million, respectively, for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses were $320.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $387.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The following table summarizes our research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, together with the changes in those items in dollars (in thousands):

Years Ended December 31,Period to Period
20242023Change
External research and development expenses$90,614$130,124$(39,510)
Employee related expenses76,02983,316(7,287)
Facility expenses98,003105,875(7,872)
Stock-based compensation expenses47,94446,3561,588
Other expenses2,0192,703(684)
Sublicense and license fees6,04418,958(12,914)
Total research and development expenses$320,653$387,332$(66,679)

The decrease of approximately $66.7 million was primarily attributable to the following:


$39.5 million of decreased external research and development costs, primarily associated with a decrease in variable external research and manufacturing costs;


$12.9 million of decreased sublicense and license fees, primarily attributable to a decrease in research and development licenses and milestones due to strategic partners;


$7.9 million of decreased facility expenses primarily driven by lower laboratory-related costs; and


$7.3 million of decreased employee-related expenses.

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General and administrative expenses

General and administrative expenses were $73.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $76.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease of $3.2 million was primarily attributable to decreased employee-related expenses and consulting and professional services-related expenses.

Collaboration expense, net

Collaboration expense, net, was $110.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $130.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease of $20.0 million was attributable to our share of certain costs in 2023 arising from a license agreement between Vertex and a third party, which we agreed to pay to Vertex upon the occurrence of an event specified in Amendment No. 1 to the A&R Vertex JDCA. No similar costs were incurred in 2024. Refer to Note 8 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a description of revenue recognized related to Vertex.

In 2024, 2023 and 2022, we exercised our option to defer specified costs on the CASGEVY program in excess of the deferral limit under A&R Vertex JDCA, as amended, resulting in deferred costs of $102.8 million, $80.9 million and $36.1 million, respectively. Any deferred amounts are only payable to Vertex as an offset against future profitability of the CASGEVY program and the amounts payable are capped at a specified maximum amount per year. These deferred costs on the CASGEVY program will be recognized by us when recoverability of such deferred amounts by Vertex is probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. As of December 31, 2024, no contingent payments have been accrued to date. Refer to Note 8 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion on our arrangements with Vertex.

Other income, net

Other income, net, was $103.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $71.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase in other income, net, was primarily due to an increase in interest income earned on cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities for the year ended December 31, 2024.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Sources of Liquidity

We have predominantly incurred losses and cumulative negative cash flows from operations since our inception. As of December 31, 2024, we had $1,903.8 million in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, of which approximately $53.8 million was held outside of the United States, and an accumulated deficit of $1,366.0 million. We anticipate that we will continue to incur losses for at least the next several years. We expect to continue to incur research and development costs and general and administrative expenses, consistent with costs associated with research and development at companies of our size and stage of development, and, as a result, we will need additional capital to fund our operations, which we may raise through public or private equity or debt financings, strategic collaborations, or other sources.

At-the-Market Offerings

In August 2019, we entered into an Open Market Sale AgreementSM with Jefferies under which we were able to offer and sell, from time to time at our sole discretion through Jefferies, as our sales agent, our common shares, par value of CHF 0.03 per share, or the August 2019 Sales Agreement. In connection with the August 2019 Sales Agreement, as amended, we have filed several prospectus supplements with the SEC to offer and sell, from time to time, common shares. We filed our current prospectus supplement for $378.6 million in August 2024.

In 2022, the sale of common shares pursuant to the 2019 Sales Agreement and the applicable prospectus supplement was not significant.

In 2023, we issued and sold 0.5 million common shares at an average price of $72.32 per share for aggregate proceeds of $32.7 million, which were net of equity issuance costs of $0.4 million. An additional $0.3 million of stamp taxes related to this amount was paid in 2023.

In 2024, we issued and sold 0.4 million common shares at an average price of $55.81 per share for aggregate proceeds of $21.7 million, which were net of equity issuance costs of $0.3 million. An additional $0.2 million of stamp taxes related to this amount was paid in 2024.

As of December 31, 2024, we have common shares having aggregate gross proceeds up to $363.7 million remaining under our current prospectus supplement, and we have issued and sold an aggregate of 1.9 million common shares at an average price of $122.73 per share for aggregate proceeds of $233.2 million, which were net of equity issuance costs of $3.1 million, excluding stamp taxes.

Additional Financings

In February 2024, we entered into an investment agreement for the sale of approximately $280.0 million of our common shares

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to a group of institutional investors in a registered direct offering, at a price per share of $71.50. We received net proceeds of $279.0 million, excluding stamp taxes due of $2.8 million.

Sources of Liquidity

Cash Flows

Discussions of 2022 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2023 and 2022 that are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the SEC on February 21, 2024.

The following table provides information regarding our cash flows for each of the periods below:

Years Ended December 31,
20242023
(in thousands)
Net cash used in operating activities$(142,774)$(260,375)
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities(280,481)374,647
Net cash provided by financing activities331,98462,664
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash(21)73
(Decrease) increase in cash and restricted cash$(91,292)$177,009

Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities was $142.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to net cash used in operating activities of $260.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in cash used in operating activities was primarily driven by cash received in 2024 from Vertex in connection with the $200.0 million milestone achieved upon regulatory approval of CASGEVY in 2023, offset by increased net losses.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $280.5 million and consisted primarily of purchases of marketable securities in excess of maturities of marketable securities of $255.4 million. Net cash provided by investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $374.6 million and consisted primarily of maturities of marketable securities in excess of purchases of marketable securities of $386.6 million.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $332.0 million and primarily consisted of net proceeds of approximately $279.0 million from the issuance of common shares in connection with our registered direct offering, net proceeds of approximately $31.2 million from stock option exercises, and net proceeds of approximately $21.7 million from the issuance of common shares in connection with our 2021 ATM. Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $62.7 million and consisted of net proceeds of $32.7 million from the issuance of common shares and net proceeds of approximately $29.9 million from stock option exercises.

Funding Requirements

Our primary uses of capital are, and we expect will continue to be, research and development activities, manufacturing activities, compensation and related expenses, laboratory and related supplies, legal and other regulatory expenses, patent prosecution filing, defense and intellectual property maintenance costs, and general overhead costs, including costs associated with operating as a public company. We expect to continue to incur operating expenses consistent with costs associated with research and development at companies of our size and stage of development, which may increase in the future to support continued research and development activities and potential commercialization of our product candidates.

Although we and our partner, Vertex, have received marketing approvals for CASGEVY in certain jurisdictions, we cannot guarantee we and Vertex will receive additional marketing approvals for CASGEVY or we will receive marketing approvals for our other product candidates in the future. Most of our programs are still in early stages of development and the outcome of our efforts is uncertain, and we cannot estimate the actual amounts necessary to successfully complete the development, manufacture and commercialization of any current or future product candidates, if approved, or whether, or when, we may achieve profitability. Until such time as we can generate substantial product revenues, if ever, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity financings, debt financings and payments received in connection with our collaboration and license agreements. We intend to consider opportunities to raise additional funds through the sale of equity or debt securities when market conditions are favorable to us to do so. However, the trading prices for our common shares and other biopharmaceutical companies have been highly volatile. As a result, we may face difficulties raising capital through sales of our common shares or such sales may be on unfavorable terms. In

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addition, a recession, depression or other sustained adverse market event could materially and adversely affect our business and the value of our common shares. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the future sale of equity or debt securities, the ownership interests of our shareholders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our existing shareholders. If we raise additional funds through license or collaboration arrangements in the future, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.

Outlook

Based on our research and development plans and our timing expectations related to the progress of our programs, we expect our existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditures for at least the next 24 months without giving effect to any additional proceeds we may receive under our license agreements and collaborations, including with Vertex, and any other capital raising transactions we may complete. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could use our capital resources sooner than we expect. Given our need for additional financing to support the long-term clinical development and future commercialization of our programs, as applicable, we intend to consider additional financing opportunities when market terms are favorable to us.

Our ability to generate revenue and achieve profitability depends significantly on our success in many areas, including: developing our delivery technologies and our gene editing technology platform; selecting appropriate product candidates to develop; completing research and preclinical and clinical development of selected product candidates; obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing authorizations for product candidates for which we complete clinical trials; developing a sustainable and scalable manufacturing process for product candidates; launching and commercializing product candidates for which we obtain regulatory approvals and marketing authorizations, either directly or with a collaborator or distributor; obtaining market acceptance of our product candidates, either directly or with a collaborator or distributor, if approved, including for CASGEVY; addressing any competing technological and market developments; negotiating favorable terms in any collaboration, licensing or other arrangements into which we may enter; maintaining good relationships with our collaborators and licensors; maintaining, defending, protecting and expanding our estate of intellectual property rights, including patents, trade secrets and know-how; and attracting, hiring and retaining qualified personnel.

Contractual and Other Obligations

Operating lease and sublease obligations

Our operating lease obligations primarily consist of lease payments on our office and laboratory facility in Boston, Massachusetts, as well as lease payments on our cell manufacturing facility in Framingham, Massachusetts, which are described in further detail in Note 7 of our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Future contractual payments on operating lease and sublease obligations due within one year of December 31, 2024 are $29.4 million, and future contractual payments on operating lease and sublease obligations due greater than one year from December 31, 2024 are $265.2 million.

Other obligations

Under the A&R Vertex JDCA, as amended, we are allowed to defer a portion of our share of costs under the arrangement if spending on the CASGEVY program exceeds specified amounts. Any deferred amounts are only payable to Vertex as an offset against future profitability of the CAGEVY program and the amounts payable are capped at a specified maximum amount per year. Deferred costs associated with the CASGEVY program have not been recognized as of December 31, 2024 because a reasonable estimate of future payments against future profitability cannot be made.

In the normal course of business, we enter into agreements with CROs for clinical trials and clinical supply manufacturing and with vendors for preclinical research studies and other services and products for operating purposes. These contracts are generally cancelable at any time by us upon less than 180 days’ prior written notice. Certain of these agreements require us to pay milestones to such third parties upon achievement of certain development, regulatory or commercial milestones as further described in Note 9 of our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Amounts related to contingent milestone payments are not considered contractual obligations as they are contingent on the successful achievement of certain development, regulatory approval and commercial milestones, which may not be achieved.

We also have obligations to make future payments to third parties that become due and payable on the achievement of certain milestones, including future payments to third parties with whom we have entered into research, development and commercialization agreements. We have not included these commitments on our balance sheet because the achievement and timing of these milestones is not fixed and determinable.

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