RT

RAHWAY, N.J.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, today announced upcoming data presentations and programming at the 25 th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024), taking place July 22-26, 2024, in Munich, Germany. Merck will share updates on new scientific findings from its HIV research program, including Phase 1 results from a trial evaluating the potential for drug-drug interaction between MK-8527, the company’s novel nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor (NRTTI), and an oral contraceptive. The company will also host a symposium exploring HIV-related stigma and discrimination, as well as a symposium on the importance of choice when considering HIV treatment and prevention options. “ AIDS 2024 is such an important moment for the global HIV community, and we are excited to be in Munich to showcase our continued commitment to advancing research and supporting policy initiatives to help address ongoing challenges and unmet needs,” said Paul Schaper, associate vice president, Global Public Policy, Merck. “ We have been engaged in HIV research since the early days of the epidemic and today we are proud to be working alongside researchers, advocacy organizations, industry partners and others to keep innovating for all those impacted by HIV”. Merck will host two symposia during AIDS 2024 to discuss global policies and issues impacting the HIV community: Coming Through that Fire: Transcending HIV-Related Shame and Stigma, (July 23, 6-7:30pm CET) : Community leaders from around the world will discuss the impact of HIV-related stigma and discrimination on efforts to reduce infections and reach global HIV elimination goals. Learn more here . HIV Today and Tomorrow: The Evolving Importance of Choice (July 24, 12-1pm CET) : Plenary presentations, case discussions, and interactive panel discussions will highlight the unmet needs and challenges facing current and future HIV treatment and prevention efforts. Learn more here . Abstracts in the AIDS 2024 program include: Phase 1, open-label study to evaluate the drug interaction between MK-8527, an HIV-1 nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor, and the oral contraceptive levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol in healthy adult females, Poster Session B6, Carstens, R, et al. Transmitted drug resistance to reverse transcriptase and protease inhibitors in Argentina: an updated analysis, Poster Session B11, Cecchini, D, et al. Long-Acting Oral PrEP is Preferred to Injections: Findings from an Online Sample of American Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men who Have Sex with Men, Poster Session E2, Gravett, R, et al. Lack Of Understanding of Undetectable Equals Untransmittable (U=U) is High Among People Living With HIV in The United States, Poster Session E2, Tadese, B, et al. Weight Gain and Health-Related Quality of Life in People with HIV On Antiretroviral Therapy, Poster Session B4, Tadese, B, et al. For an overview of Merck’s HIV treatment and prevention clinical development program, please click here . Merck’s Commitment to HIV For more than 35 years, Merck has been committed to scientific research and discovery in HIV. Today, we are developing a series of antiviral options designed to help people manage HIV and protect people from HIV, with the goal of reducing infection worldwide. We remain committed to collaborating with others in the global HIV community to address the complex challenges that impede progress toward ending the epidemic. About Merck At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world – and today, we are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable and healthy future for all people and communities. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on X (formerly Twitter) , Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and LinkedIn . Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. There can be no guarantees with respect to pipeline candidates that the candidates will receive the necessary regulatory approvals or that they will prove to be commercially successful. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site ( www.sec.gov ).

- Issued patents provide protection for multiple of Life Edit’s lead adenine deaminases, base editors, and RNA-guided nucleases with applications in base editing and reverse transcriptase editing - Patented gene editing enzymes recognize a diverse set of protospacer adjacent motifs and further advance the Company towards its vision to make any edit, anywhere possible - ElevateBio is building a robust portfolio of patents protecting its novel technologies while the Company scales as the world’s first integrated genetic medicine foundry WALTHAM, Mass. and DURHAM, N.C., May 14, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ElevateBio, LLC (ElevateBio), a technology-driven company focused on powering the creation of life-transforming genetic medicines, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued to Life Edit, ElevateBio’s gene editing business, four new patents covering multiple enzymes. US Patent Nos. 11,981,916, 11,859,181 and 11,926,843 are directed to multiple RNA-guided nucleases (RGNs) and base editors, and US Patent No. 11,981,940 is directed to adenine deaminases and base editors. The patents, which are expected to expire between 2039 and 2041, provide composition and methods of use protection for several of Life Edit’s lead RGNs, adenine deaminases, base editors and reverse transcriptase (RT) editors. "These newly granted patents underscore the novelty of our Life Edit gene editing systems that are able to make a broad spectrum of DNA edits and accelerate our partners’ development of therapies for some of the world’s most challenging genetic diseases,” said David Hallal, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ElevateBio. “Our continued success in building a robust portfolio of patents protecting our novel technologies is a critical component of our ambition to scale as the world’s first integrated genetic medicine foundry, providing the industry with differentiated technologies and expertise to accelerate the design, development, and manufacturing of transformative therapies.” ElevateBio’s Life Edit gene editing platform is available to make a broad spectrum of edits – including base editing and reverse transcriptase editing – for the development of ex vivo and in vivo therapies to treat and potentially cure disease. Base editing is a precise gene editing method that allows for the alteration of a single nucleotide base without cutting both strands of DNA, potentially allowing for the correction of genetic mutations associated with disease. RT editing, also known as prime editing, involves cutting a DNA strand and then rewriting or replacing a genomic sequence with a new genetic sequence, aiming to correct disease-causing genetic mutations. Life Edit’s RNA-guided nucleases were developed using a proprietary collection of non-pathogenic microbes, which offer gene editing tools with higher fidelity, novel functionality, and easier delivery. The RGNs are smaller in size when compared to conventional nucleases, potentially enabling greater versatility for therapeutic delivery. Life Edit's nuclease collection features a range of Protospacer Adjacent Motifs (PAMs), short sequences that determine the DNA segments in the genome to which a nuclease can bind. Life Edit’s broad range of PAMs increases access to a greater diversity of sites where therapeutically meaningful edits can be made. About ElevateBio:ElevateBio is a technology-driven company built to power transformative genetic medicines today and for many decades to come. The Company commercializes its enabling technologies, manufacturing capabilities, and industry-leading expertise through partnerships to accelerate development across a breadth of therapeutic approaches and modalities. The ElevateBio ecosystem combines multiple R&D technology platforms – including Life Edit, a next-generation, full-spectrum gene editing platform; comprehensive cell engineering technologies; and an expanded viral and non-viral therapeutic delivery platform – with BaseCamp®, its end-to-end genetic medicine cGMP manufacturing and process development business, to accelerate the discovery and development of advanced therapeutics. ElevateBio aims to be the dominant engine inside the world’s greatest scientific advancements harnessing human cells and genes to alter disease. For more, visit www.elevate.bio or follow ElevateBio on LinkedIn or X. About Life Edit Therapeutics Inc.Life Edit, ElevateBio’s next-generation gene editing business, offers one of the world’s largest and most diverse libraries of RNA-guided nucleases (RGNs), base editors, and reverse transcriptase (RT) editors that provide flexible editing and unprecedented access to the genome. The platform allows Life Edit to target any genomic sequence and potentially develop novel human therapeutics for the most challenging genetic diseases by enabling ex vivo engineering for cell therapies and regenerative medicines and in vivo delivery of gene therapies. In addition to developing its own pipeline of cell and gene therapies, Life Edit will continue to strengthen its platform of genome-editing enzymes, provide gene-editing expertise to strategic partners, and form other third-party partnerships to discover and develop new therapies. For more, visit www.lifeeditinc.com or follow Life Edit on LinkedIn or X. Investor contact:Catherine Huchu@elevate.bio Media contact:DJ Websterdwebster@elevate.bio

Serendipity brings proprietary gene editing assets from the lab of gene editing pioneer Feng Zhang, bolstering Arbor’s diverse toolbox of novel, next-generation editors and expanding potential therapeutic applications in reverse transcriptase-based editing and insertion of large regions of DNACAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arbor Biotechnologies, Inc., a biotechnology company discovering and developing the next generation of genetic medicines, today announced the acquisition of Serendipity Biosciences, a private biotechnology company focused on the discovery of unique gene editing technologies. Serendipity’s novel editing technologies were discovered in the lab of leading gene editing researcher and Arbor Biotechnologies co-founder, Feng Zhang, of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. The innovative assets, which include Fanzor-based, IsrB-based, and additional undisclosed programmable editing technologies, complement and expand Arbor’s existing editing capabilities. The addition of these newly discovered nuclease technologies offers opportunities to add new therapeutic applications for Arbor’s portfolio of genomic medicines. The technologies build on the potential of CRISPR-Cas approaches by harnessing next-generation components to enhance Arbor’s RT (reverse transcriptase) editing and insertion of exons or entire genes in vivo (both all RNA-based and DNA-donor based approaches) through unique cutting properties (e.g., natural nickases), expanded genomic targeting, and smaller sizes (<500 amino acids) that enable delivery through adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors and other size constrained delivery vehicles. Financial details were not disclosed. “At Arbor, we are dedicated to developing a range of small gene editing tools that enable treatment for potentially any genetic disease using any tissue specific delivery modality, including AAV. Our primary focus is on developing novel therapies for indications in the liver and CNS with significant unmet need while partnering in other areas,” said Devyn Smith, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Arbor Biotechnologies. “We are excited to add Serendipity’s innovative technologies to expand our deep toolbox of approaches for RT editing and large insertions with the potential to deliver small size next-generation precision genetic medicines in a single AAV to patients in need.” About Arbor BiotechnologiesArbor Biotechnologies® is a next-generation gene editing company based in Cambridge, MA. Combining the promise of CRISPR with advanced computational AI-driven discovery, high throughput screening, and robust protein engineering approaches, our co-founders Feng Zhang and David Walt laid the groundwork for our proprietary discovery engine, which has yielded an extensive toolbox of gene editors, far exceeding the number of editors published in the literature to date. We envision a future of gene editing that extends beyond simple knockdowns to include precision writing, precise excisions and large insertions. This affords us the potential to treat a broad spectrum of patients, from those with ultra-rare to the most common genetic diseases. Guided by a deep understanding of the molecular basis of disease and our access to a unique suite of optimized editors, we are rapidly advancing our discovery-stage programs with an initial focus on genomic diseases of the liver and CNS for which there are no existing functional cures. As we advance toward the clinic with our lead program in primary hyperoxaluria type I, we look to expand our strategic partnerships around in vivo gene editing across multiple therapeutic areas and ex vivo cell therapy programs to broaden the reach of our novel nuclease technology. For more information, please visit: arbor.bio. Arbor Biotechnologies Media ContactPeg RusconiVerge Scientific Communicationsprusconi@vergescientific.com