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nkarta THERAPEUTICS CRISPR Therapeutics and Nkarta Announce Global Collaboration to Develop Gene - Edited Cell Therapies for Cancer May 6 , 2021 -Collaboration brings together breakthrough gene editing technology and leading natural killer ( NK ) cell and T cell discovery , development , and manufacturing capabilities- -Companies to co - develop and co - commercialize two chimeric antigen receptor ( CAR ) NK cell product candidates , one targeting CD70 , and a product candidate combining NK and T cells ( NK + T ) - -Nkarta obtains a license to CRISPR gene editing technology for use in its own engineered NK cell therapy products- -Nkarta to host conference call today at 4:30 p.m. ET- ZUG , Switzerland , CAMBRIDGE , Mass . , and SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO , Calif . , May 06 , 2021 ( GLOBE NEWSWIRE ) -- CRISPR Therapeutics ( NASDAQ : CRSP ) , a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformative gene - based medicines for serious diseases , and Nkarta , Inc. ( NASDAQ : NKTX ) , a biopharmaceutical company developing engineered NK cell therapies to treat cancer , today announced a strategic partnership to research , develop , and commercialize CRISPR / Cas9 gene - edited cell therapies for cancer . Under the agreement , the companies will co - develop and co - commercialize two CAR NK cell product candidates , one targeting the CD70 tumor antigen and the other target to be determined . In addition , the companies will bring together their complementary cell therapy engineering and manufacturing capabilities to advance the development of a novel NK + T product candidate harnessing the synergies of the adaptive and innate immune systems . Finally , Nkarta obtains a license to CRISPR gene editing technology to edit five gene targets in an unlimited number of its own NK cell therapy products . CRISPR Therapeutics and Nkarta will equally share all research and development costs and profits worldwide related to the collaboration products . For each non - collaboration product candidate incorporating a gene editing target licensed from CRISPR Therapeutics , Nkarta will retain worldwide rights and pay CRISPR Therapeutics milestones and royalties on net sales . The agreement includes a three - year exclusivity period between CRISPR Therapeutics and Nkarta covering the research , development , and commercialization of allogeneic , gene - edited , donor - derived NK cells and NK + T cells . " By bringing together CRISPR Therapeutics ' and Nkarta's highly complementary expertise and proprietary platforms we plan to accelerate the development of potentially groundbreaking genome engineered NK cell therapies , " said Samarth Kulkarni , Ph.D. , Chief Executive Officer at CRISPR Therapeutics . " This collaboration broadens the scope of our efforts in oncology cell therapy , and expands our efforts to discover and develop novel cancer therapies for patients . " “ Uniting the best - in - class gene editing solution and allogeneic T cell therapy expertise of CRISPR with Nkarta's best - in - class CAR NK cell therapy platform will be a major advantage to advancing the next wave of transformative cancer cell therapies , " said Paul J. Hastings , President and Chief Executive Officer of Nkarta . " With this partnership , Nkarta can systematically apply world - class gene editing across our entire pre - clinical pipeline going forward . CRISPR's deep understanding of CD70 biology and experience in allogeneic T cell clinical development can accelerate the development of early - stage Nkarta programs , to deliver innovative treatments to patients that much faster . " Nkarta Conference Call Details Nkarta management will host a conference call to discuss the collaboration today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time ( ET ) . The event will be simultaneously webcast and available for replay from the Nkarta website at www.nkartatx.com , under the Investors section . Investors may also participate in the conference call by calling 877-876-9174 ( domestic ) or + 1-785-424-1669 ( international ) . The conference ID is NKARTA . About CRISPR Therapeutics CRISPR Therapeutics is a leading gene editing company focused on developing transformative gene - based medicines for serious diseases using its proprietary CRISPR / Cas9 platform . CRISPR / Cas9 is a revolutionary gene editing technology that allows for precise , directed changes to genomic DNA . CRISPR Therapeutics has established a portfolio of therapeutic programs across a broad range of disease areas including hemoglobinopathies , oncology , regenerative medicine and rare diseases . To accelerate and expand its efforts , CRISPR Therapeutics has established strategic collaborations with leading companies including Bayer , Vertex Pharmaceuticals and ViaCyte , Inc. CRISPR Therapeutics AG is headquartered in Zug , Switzerland , with its wholly - owned U.S. subsidiary , CRISPR Therapeutics , Inc. , and R & D operations based in Cambridge , Massachusetts , and business offices in San Francisco , California and London , United Kingdom . For more information , please visit www.crisprtx.com . CRISPR THERAPEUTICS® word mark and design logo are registered trademarks of CRISPR Therapeutics AG . All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners . CRISPR Therapeutics Forward - Looking Statement This press release may contain a number of " forward - looking statements " within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 , as amended , including statements made by Dr. Kulkarni and Mr. Hastings in this press release , as well as statements regarding CRISPR Therapeutics ' expectations about any or all of the following : ( i ) the future activities of the parties pursuant to the collaboration and the expected benefits of CRISPR Therapeutics ' collaboration with Nkarta ; and ( ii ) the therapeutic value , development , and commercial potential of CRISPR / Cas9 gene editing technologies and therapies . Without limiting the foregoing , the words " believes , " " anticipates , ” “ plans , ” “ expects " and similar expressions