Editas Medicine Presents EDIT-401 NHP Data at EAS Congress: ≥90% Reductions in LDL-C, Lp(a), and ApoB in a Single Dose; Positive FDA Pre-IND Feedback

Editas Medicine delivered an oral presentation at the 94th European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) Congress in Athens, Greece (May 24–27, 2026) showing preclinical data from its EDIT-401 base-editing program for cardiovascular disease. The data, drawn from non-human primate (NHP) studies, demonstrated that a single dose of EDIT-401 — a Cas9 base-editing therapy targeting the PCSK9 gene delivered via lipid nanoparticles — achieved ≥90% mean reductions in LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], and apolipoprotein B (ApoB) simultaneously. This triple lipid reduction profile is notable: existing approved drugs can lower either LDL-C (statins, PCSK9 inhibitors) or Lp(a) (emerging olpasiran, pelacarsen), but a single CRISPR base-editing dose achieving all three major cardiovascular risk lipid reductions in NHP is unprecedented. Editas also reported it received positive pre-Investigational New Drug (pre-IND) feedback from the U.S. FDA, a significant regulatory milestone indicating the agency found no major obstacles to proceeding to an IND application. First-in-human clinical studies are planned for H2 2026. EDIT-401 uses Editas's Cas9 base-editing platform (distinct from Beam Therapeutics' ABE approach), targeting a non-coding regulatory sequence upstream of the PCSK9 gene. The simultaneous LDL-C and Lp(a) reduction is particularly significant as Lp(a) reduction is a major unmet need — elevated Lp(a) affects ~20% of the global population and is an independent cardiovascular risk factor with no currently approved therapy in most markets. The EAS Congress audience received the data as potentially transformative for cardiovascular prevention.