We are pleased to announce that MIJ has invested in EdiGENE Corporation (now Modalis Therapeutics Corporation), a life science start-up that is developing technology that makes it possible to edit genomes without cutting the genes.

The advent of “CRISPER-Cas9” genome-editing technology in 2012 made it possible to modify targeted genes with far less effort than was previously required. Although research on the application of CRISPER-cas9 technology in the treatment of genetic disorders has advanced rapidly due to CRISPER-cas9’s high efficiency, there is still an issue that cannot be ignored—that is, there is the possibility that non-targeted genes will be modified in a certain percentage of cases. While based on CRISPER-cas9, EdiGENE Corporation’s gene-editing technology has enabled a switch-like approach that controls the functioning of a specific gene without having to cut the genome, making it possible to perform gene editing more safely. It is the ability of this technology to enable genes to be edited without cutting the genome that differentiates EdiGENE Corporation so remarkably from other companies in the same field. EdiGENE Corporation is currently pursuing research and development that could be useful in the treatment of various genetic disorders.