June 18, 2026 —
Scribe Therapeutics announced that it has received more than $25 million in multi-year awards from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, or CIRM, to advance two preclinical CRISPR-based genetic medicine programs targeting cardiovascular and metabolic disease.
The awards were granted through CIRM’s Preclinical Development Program, which supports California-based research projects moving toward clinical trials. The funding will support STX-1200 and STX-1400, two wholly owned programs from Scribe’s cardiometabolic portfolio.
STX-1200 is designed to target LPA to reduce lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), a genetically driven risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Elevated Lp(a) affects approximately one in five people worldwide and is associated with a higher risk of premature heart attack and aortic stenosis. Because Lp(a) levels are largely inherited and currently lack approved therapies that directly and durably lower them, Scribe is pursuing a genetic medicine approach intended to reduce Lp(a)-driven cardiovascular risk after a single treatment.
STX-1400 is designed to target APOC3, a key regulator of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. The program aims to durably lower triglycerides in severe triglyceride-driven diseases such as severe hypertriglyceridemia, familial chylomicronemia syndrome, and multifactorial chylomicronemia syndrome. By lowering APOC3 activity, the therapy is intended to reduce triglyceride levels and potentially decrease the risk of acute pancreatitis and cardiovascular events.
Both programs use Scribe’s X-Editor, or XE, gene editing technology. XE is a compact, engineered CRISPR-based editing platform designed for enhanced activity, specificity, deliverability, and flexibility. The platform supports multiple editing strategies, including gene knockout, knockdown, knock-in, exon skipping, and targeted genetic excision.
The CIRM awards follow Scribe’s broader strategy to develop durable, potentially one-time genetic medicines for cardiometabolic disease. Together with the company’s clinical-stage lead asset, STX-1150, the STX-1200 and STX-1400 programs reflect Scribe’s focus on using in vivo CRISPR technologies to address major lipid drivers of cardiovascular disease.
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, and current lipid-lowering approaches can be limited by treatment burden, adherence challenges, and lack of durability. Scribe’s approach aims to intervene earlier and more durably by addressing genetically defined drivers of risk at the DNA level.
With CIRM support, Scribe will advance STX-1200 and STX-1400 through preclinical development toward potential clinical testing. If successful, these programs could expand the use of CRISPR-based genetic medicines beyond rare diseases and into prevalent cardiometabolic conditions with large patient populations.
