In a move that continues a recent bolstering of its gene therapy pipeline, Eli Lilly has signed a global research collaboration and licensing agreement with gene editing company Seamless Therapeutics.
The partnership will see the two companies develop and commercialise programmable recombinase-based treatments targeting hearing loss indications. In exchange for using Seamless’ recombinase platform, Lilly will pay the biotech over $1.12bn in an upfront payment and R&D funding. The exact breakdown of milestone payments and additional royalties on any approved drugs was not disclosed.
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Germany-based Seamless, which launched in 2023, uses programmable recombinases to address genetic diseases. Recombinases are specialised enzymes that catalyse site-specific DNA rearrangements, including excision, insertion, and translocation. These enzymes have been used in scientific research for decades, but only now are they being harnessed for the potential of commercialised therapies. The biotech says its platform can perform large but precise DNA edits along the genome, enabling treatment across a broad range of diseases.
Following the deal with Lilly, Seamless will design and programme site-specific recombinases directed to correct mutations in certain genes of interest related to hearing loss. Lilly will receive an exclusive license to the programmed recombinases to advance through preclinical and clinical drug development and commercialisation.
Albert Seymour, Seamless’s CEO, said: “We look forward to working with our partners at Lilly in our shared goal to transform the outcome for patients with genetic hearing loss. It’s an exciting opportunity to apply our technology to bring treatments to patients with hearing loss and continue to expand the therapeutic potential for programmable recombinases through our proprietary pipeline.”
Lilly doubles down on gene therapy deals
The collaboration with Seamless marks the latest gene therapy commitment by Lilly, despite some pharma companies opting to retreat from the sector. In May 2025, the drugmaker spent $1.3bn to acquire Rznomics, a South Korea-based biotech developing RNA-based therapies for hearing loss. Then in June, Lilly bought gene editing partner Verve Therapeutics for $1.3bn.
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By GlobalDataLilly bought Adverum in October 2025 and signed a $475m licensing deal with MeiraGTx a month later – both deals were in the ophthalmic gene therapy space.
Lilly already has one gene therapy candidate for hearing loss in the form of AK-OTOF. In Phase I/II data (NCT05572073) released in 2024, the therapy was shown to restore hearing in one child who had hearing loss from birth.
Cell and gene therapy (CGT) venture capital activity is most prominent in the Series B-stage, a report by GlobalData discovered.
Regarding CGT acquisitions made by big pharma, Irena Maragkou, senior healthcare researcher at GlobalData, says: “Such acquisitions are becoming increasingly modality-driven and focused on platforms, scalable manufacturing systems, and specialised capabilities that can support portfolio-wide CGT expansion efforts. However, big pharma continues to demonstrate willingness to pay a premium for some late-stage or clinically validated assets when they align with long-term strategic objectives and portfolios.”
Beyond cell and gene therapies, Lilly has been the busiest big pharma company on the M&A stage so far in 2026. In January, the company acquired inflammatory specialist Ventyx for $1.2bn and signed a $1.3bn obesity-focused research deal with Nimbus.
Cell & Gene Therapy coverage on Pharmaceutical Technology is supported by Cytiva.
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