Allergan has secured exclusive access to Editas Medicine’s genome-editing ocular programs under a strategic research and development agreement. The deal covers early stage, first-in-class programs that target serious diseases based on Editas Medicine’s CRISPR genome-editing platform.

CRISPR - Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats - can be programmed to target specific stretches of genetic code and edit DNA at precise locations in the human genome, allowing researchers to permanently modify genes and potentially create medicines with a durable treatment response.

Under terms of the agreement, Allergan has the option to license up to five programs, including Editas Medicine’s lead program for Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA10), which is currently in preclinical development. LCA10 is a rare and inherited retinal degenerative disease that appears in childhood and leads to blindness.

David Nicholson, Allergan’s chief research and development officer, said the CRISPR platform has the potential to transform the treatment of many genetic and non-genetically derived diseases and Editas Medicine’s program is highly complementary to its ongoing eyecare research in areas of unmet medical need.

Editas Medicine will receive an upfront payment of $90 million, as well as additional payments for achieving important near-term milestones specifically related to LCA10. Allergan will be responsible for development and commercialization of the optioned products, subject to Editas’ option right to co-develop and co-promote up to two optioned products in the US. Editas is also eligible for development and commercial milestones as well as royalty payments on a per-program basis.