Danaher Group collaborates with Correctseq to develop a gene editing innovation therapy process platform

On July 14, 2025, Danaher, a global innovator in science and technology, announced a strategic collaboration between its operating company Cytiva and Correctseq to jointly develop innovative process solutions for gene therapies based on lipid nanoparticle delivery systems, aiming to advance breakthroughs in gene editing technologies for the treatment of genetic diseases. This marks the first time Danaher has partnered with a Chinese biotechnology company through the Danaher Beacon program. The collaboration was witnessed by Chris Riley, Executive Vice President of Danaher and CEO of Cytiva; Fang Zhuo, Danaher China Chief Scientific Officer; Mu Xiaodun, CEO of Correctseq; and Lei Li, President of Cytiva China.

Genetic disorders are diseases caused by gene mutations, including thousands of conditions such as sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy [1]. The majority of genetic disorders currently have no effective treatments, and for the few that do, patients often require lifelong medication. In recent years, advances in gene editing technology within the medical field have brought new hope for treating genetic diseases. Correctseq has developed a base editing technology characterized by high precision and low off-target effects, enabling accurate and permanent modification of individual base pairs within the vast genome, thus offering new possibilities for curing genetic disorders caused by gene mutations [2]. However, to achieve clinical application of base editing technology in gene therapy, key bottlenecks such as tissue delivery, large-scale manufacturing, and quality control must still be overcome.

Correctseq CEO Mu Xiaodun shares on-site
Correctseq's CEO, Xiao Dun Mou, said: "To date, our proprietary base editing technology has cured nearly 20 patients with beta-thalassemia and sickle cell anemia. Leveraging Danaher Group's global platform resources and Cytiva's extensive LNP and AAV vector libraries, we will accelerate the development of our in vivo delivery platform. Cytiva's internationally compliant GMP manufacturing platform will further complement our innovative gene editing platform, significantly shortening development and time-to-market cycles. Looking ahead, both parties will focus on chronic metabolic diseases such as hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia, aiming to achieve long-term disease control through a single gene therapy, offering more transformative treatment options for patients in China and worldwide."

Danaher China Chief Scientist Fang Zhuo shares on-site
Danaher China's Chief Scientist Fang Zhuo stated: "In this collaboration, Danaher will empower Correctseq in both technology and quality control. First, we will leverage Cytiva's gene editing therapy process development platform, which includes technologies such as oligonucleotide synthesis, in vitro mRNA production, and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) encapsulation, to effectively advance gene therapies from research and development to large-scale manufacturing and clinical application—this is crucial for Correctseq’s next-generation in vivo gene editing therapies. Second, we will introduce Danaher's mass spectrometry, chromatography, and flow cytometry technologies to ensure quality control at every step of the synthesis and delivery processes, guaranteeing process integrity and reliable quality. This collaboration marks the first Danaher Beacon project partnership in China with a local advanced biotech company. Going forward, we aim to collaborate with leading domestic scientists, top academic and medical institutions, and innovative technology enterprises across broader areas of scientific research and innovation translation, leveraging Danaher's proven technologies and processes to accelerate clinical applications and benefit more patients in China and worldwide."
Correctseq will collaborate with Cytiva, integrating Cytiva's advanced biomanufacturing platform with Beckman Coulter Life Sciences and Agilent Fennuo Medical testing technology platforms, to jointly develop a full-process production technology platform. This initiative aims to accelerate the clinical translation and application of gene editing technologies and provide innovative solutions for the industrialization of gene editing therapies. This marks another Danaher Beacon project launched by Danaher Corporation in China.
Cytiva's China Innovation Hub (Fast Trak) will provide core technical support in process development and scaled-up manufacturing for this gene editing therapy innovation. Located in Zhangjiang, Shanghai, Cytiva's China Innovation Hub features the largest modular bioprocessing workstation in Asia, offering end-to-end development services from nucleic acid drug preparation, lipid nanoparticle formulation screening, microfluidic encapsulation process optimization to cGMP-scale amplification. It has completed dozens of gene therapy process development projects to date. With its proven expertise in mRNA and lipid nanoparticle development and applications, it has become a key process development site for the Danaher Beacon project.

Cytiva China President Lei Li delivered an on-site speech
Cytiva China President Lei Li said, "Cytiva is committed in China to helping local biotech companies accelerate the transformation from technology development to large-scale production and clinical application, while supporting them in delivering more innovative therapies with independent intellectual property rights to patients as early as possible. We hope that through this collaboration with Correctseq, we can establish a replicable success model for the future, thereby supporting the development of China's gene therapy industry ecosystem and enhancing the overall innovation capability and international competitiveness of China's biopharmaceutical industry."
The Danaher Beacon project is a global cutting-edge scientific research initiative launched by Danaher in collaboration with top academic institutions and research academies, aiming to conduct advanced scientific research and develop innovative technologies and applications to improve human health. The project focuses on areas including genomic medicine, precision diagnostics, next-generation biomanufacturing, human systems, and data science.
References:
[1] el-Hazmi MA. Spectrum of genetic disorders and the impact on health care delivery: an introduction. East Mediterr Health J. 1999;5(6):1104-1113.
[2] Wang L, Xue W, Zhang H, et al. Eliminating base-editor-induced genome-wide and transcriptome-wide off-target mutations. Nat Cell Biol. 2021;23(5):552-563.