DURHAM, N.C., April 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Precision BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: DTIL), a life sciences company dedicated to improving life through the application of its pioneering, proprietary ARCUS® gene editing platform, today announced that the Company and its collaborators will present at the upcoming American Society of Genetic & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting held virtually May 12-15, 2020.

“The abstracts being presented by Precision and our collaborators this year at ASGCT underscore the differentiated capabilities of our proprietary ARCUS genome editing platform and the breadth of our emerging pipeline applying this technology in vivo,” commented Derek Jantz, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Precision BioSciences. “These presentations demonstrate the specificity and versatility of ARCUS-driven genome editing in a variety of large animal models and provide further preclinical evidence of potentially meaningful and durable therapeutic impact on a range of genetic and infectious diseases. As we continue to validate ARCUS’ potential in vivo, we are focused on advancing our gene correction pipeline. We look forward to selecting a clinical candidate for our wholly owned PH1 program, expected in 2020, and, in partnership with Gilead, developing a potential cure for chronic hepatitis B infection, for which submission of an IND is currently targeted for 2021.”

Precision BioSciences Presentations:

Title: Engineering a Self-Inactivating Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) Vector for ARCUS Nuclease Delivery
Poster Session: Gene Targeting and Gene Correction, Abstract: 654
Presenting Author: Hui Li, Ph.D., Precision BioSciences

Title: A Gene Editing Approach to Eliminate Hepatitis B Virus Using ARCUS Meganucleases
Poster Session: Gene Targeting and Gene Correction, Abstract 1057
Presenting Author: Cassie Gorsuch, Ph.D., Precision BioSciences

Partnered Presentations:

Title: Therapeutic Efficacy of ARCUS Meganuclease Gene Editing - Arrest of Rod Degeneration and Restoration of Rod Function in a Transgenic Pig Model of Autosomal Dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa
Oral Presentation: Gene Therapy for the Special Senses, Abstract 2
Date/Time: Tuesday, May 12, 2020, 10:30 – 10:45 a.m. EST
Presenting Author: Maureen Ann McCall, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Louisville

Title: Evaluation of the Long-term Effects of AAV-Meganuclease Genome Editing of PCSK9 in Macaque Liver
Oral Presentation: Evaluating Genome Editing Activity and Precision, Abstract 518
Date/Time: Wednesday, May 13, 2020, 4:00 – 4:15 p.m. EST
Presenting Author: Lili Wang, Ph.D., Research Director, Discovery Research and Gene Editing, Research Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

All abstracts for the ASGCT 2020 Meeting are available online at ASGCT Annual Meeting Abstracts.

About Precision BioSciences, Inc.
Precision BioSciences is dedicated to improving life (DTIL) through its proprietary genome editing platform, “ARCUS.” Precision leverages ARCUS in the development of its product candidates, which are designed to treat human diseases and create healthy and sustainable food and agriculture solutions. Precision is actively developing product candidates in three innovative areas: allogeneic CAR T immunotherapy, in vivo gene correction, and food. For more information regarding Precision, please visit www.precisionbiosciences.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including the timing of trials and results from clinical and non-clinical studies of our in vivo gene correction program and the safety, efficacy and delivery of our ARCUS® genome editing technology. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “expect,” “should,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate,” “target,” “mission,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “target,” “project,” “predict,” “contemplate,” “potential,” or the negative thereof and similar words and expressions.

Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations, beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to us. Such statements are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various important factors, including, but not limited to, our ability to become profitable; our ability to procure sufficient funding and requirements under our current debt instruments; our limited operating history; the success of our programs and product candidates; our dependence on our ARCUS technology; the initiation, cost, timing, progress and results of research and development activities, preclinical or greenhouse studies and clinical or field trials; our or our collaborators’ ability to identify, develop and commercialize product candidates; our or our collaborators’ ability to advance product candidates into, and successfully complete, clinical or field trials; our or our collaborators’ ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our product candidates, and any related restrictions, limitations and/or warnings in the label of an approved product candidate; the laws and regulatory landscape that will apply to our and our collaborators’ development of product candidates; our ability to achieve our anticipated operating efficiencies as we commence manufacturing operations at our new facility; delays or difficulties in enrolling patients in clinical trials; our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for our technology and any of our product candidates; potential litigation relating to infringement or misappropriate of intellectual property rights; if our product candidates do not work as intended or cause undesirable side effects the potential for off-target editing or other adverse events, undesirable side effects or unexpected characteristics associated with any of our product candidates; risks associated with applicable healthcare, data privacy and security regulations and our compliance therewith; the rate and degree of market acceptance of any of our product candidates; the success of our existing collaboration agreements; our ability to enter into new collaboration arrangements; public perception about genome editing technology and its applications; competition in the genome editing, biopharmaceutical, biotechnology and agricultural biotechnology fields; potential manufacturing problems associated with any of our product candidates; pending and potential liability lawsuits and penalties related to our technology, our product candidates; the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19); our current and future relationships with third parties; our ability to effectively manage the growth of our operations; our ability to attract, retain, and motivate key scientific and management personnel; effects of natural or manmade disasters, public health emergencies and other natural catastrophic events; insurance expenses and exposure to uninsured liabilities; market and economic conditions; dilution and fluctuations in our stock price; and other important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, as supplemented by the risk factor contained in our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 6, 2020, as any such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and, except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.

Investor Contacts:
Nick Riddle
Precision BioSciences
Tel. (919) 314-5512
IR@precisionbiosciences.com

Josh Rappaport
Stern Investor Relations
Tel. (212) 362-1200
josh.rappaport@sternir.com

Media Contact:
Maurissa Messier
Precision BioSciences
Tel. (919) 314-5512
media@precisionbiosciences.com

Source: Precision Biosciences