Arix Bioscience : founds new portfolio company Twelve Bio

Arix Bioscience PLC (ARIX) 
Arix founds new portfolio company Twelve Bio 
09-March-2021 / 07:01 GMT/BST 
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Arix Bioscience plc 
 
Arix founds new portfolio company Twelve Bio 
 
  ? Foundation of new Arix portfolio company, around pioneering gene editing technology 
 
  ? Arix will have an ownership stake of 49%[1] in Twelve Bio 
 
LONDON, 9 March 2021: Arix Bioscience plc ("Arix", LSE: ARIX) a global venture capital company focused on investing in 
and building breakthrough biotech companies, today announces the foundation of a new portfolio company, Twelve Bio, 
which is developing novel engineered Cas12a nucleases for therapeutic gene editing. Arix is the sole investor in the 
company, with a 49% ownership stake. 
 
Twelve Bio is a spinout from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Protein Research at the University of Copenhagen 
and Creation House programme at BioInnovation Institute (BII), an independent biotech incubator based in Copenhagen 
accelerating world-class life science research. The company is developing novel gene editing tools based on a deep 
understanding of the structure of naturally occurring enzymes that bind and cut DNA. Twelve Bio's aim is to build a 
gene editing toolbox to target a wide range of genetic disorders and to provide tailored and safe molecules to help 
patients suffering from incurable diseases. Cas12a is a unique CRISPR nuclease that has several advantages over other 
gene editing tools, including its small size, high specificity and ability to target sections of DNA not amenable to 
other Cas nucleases, such as Cas9. Twelve Bio has engineered Cas12a variants with unique properties that improve upon 
the naturally occurring version and enable genetic editing in a broad range of situations. 
 
The seed financing will allow the company to expand the scientific team and to continue development of their 
technology. The Arix team will work closely with Twelve Bio as it builds out its operations and management team. Arix 
holds two seats on Twelve Bio's board, with Arix's Managing Director, Christian Schetter, taking the role of Chairman. 
 
Christian Schetter, PhD, Managing Director at Arix and Chairman of Twelve Bio, commented: 
"The ability to edit genes has enormous potential both in terms of its range of therapeutic applications and its 
curative capacity. This new era of transformational therapeutics is still nascent which means there remains a huge 
opportunity for biotechs with differentiated technology and the right support to develop it. Company creation is a core 
part of our strategy and we are looking forward to building Twelve Bio with the two founders, Guillermo Montoya and 
Stefano Stella, into a successful player in a rapidly growing and exciting space." 
 
Stefano Stella, PhD, Founder & Chief Technology Officer of Twelve Bio, commented: 
"Arix's decision to invest in Twelve Bio underscores the potential of our technology to target DNA sequences linked to 
genetic disorders that are not accessible with other gene-editing methods. Above all, we share the same vision of 
building a company with the potential to bring transformational new treatments to patients. We are pleased to welcome 
Christian as Chairman and grateful for Arix's considerable support and experience as we look to bring new solutions to 
patients suffering from incurable diseases." 
 
[ENDS] 
For more information on Arix, please contact: 
Arix Bioscience plc 
Charlotte Parry, Head of Investor Relations 
[phone] 
[e-mail] 
Optimum Strategic Communications 
Supriya Mathur, Shabnam Bashir 
[phone] 
[e-mail] 
About Arix Bioscience plc 
Arix Bioscience plc is a global venture capital company focused on investing in and building breakthrough biotech 
companies around cutting-edge advances in life sciences. 
We collaborate with exceptional entrepreneurs and provide the capital, expertise and global networks to help accelerate 
their ideas into important new treatments for patients. As a listed company, we are able to bring this exciting growth 
phase of our industry to a broader range of investors. www.arixbioscience.com 
 
About Twelve Bio 
 
CRISPR-Cas12a is a protein-RNA complex that uses the RNA molecule as a search engine to identify specific DNA 
sequences. The protein acts as a biological scissor that cuts the DNA thus inducing changes in the target sequence. 
Twelve Bio uses an innovative approach to develop new precise gene-editing tools based on its CRISPR-Cas12a technology 
to target diseases that are currently uncurable and cannot be addressed with any other gene editing methods 
 
For more information visit www.twelve.bio 
 
 
 
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[1] Arix ownership stake after all current commitments are invested 
 
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ISIN:           GB00BD045071 
Category Code:  MSCM 
TIDM:           ARIX 
LEI Code:       213800OVT3AHQCXNIX43 
OAM Categories: 3.1. Additional regulated information required to be disclosed under the laws of a Member State 
Sequence No.:   95093 
EQS News ID:    1174035 
 
End of Announcement  EQS News Service 
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 09, 2021 02:01 ET (07:01 GMT)