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VERVE-102 (PCSK9 base editor)

by Eli LillyUS

ProtoStage 2 of 5

Early trial ongoing under Lilly after it bought Verve in 2025.

Updated 25 May 2026Checked 25 Sep0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Larger dosing and Phase 2 plans
  1. VERVE-101 paused after lab abnormalitiesApr 2024Complete.
  2. First data: LDL falls, more at higher dosesApr 2025Complete.
  3. Larger dosing and Phase 2 plansNowCurrent milestone.

Most important updates

  • 25 May 2026
  • 17 Jun 2025

Physics limits

  • Base editors can only make certain letter swapsThey chemically turn C into T or A into G (and the matching pair): 4 of the 12 possible single-letter changes. They also act on nearby look-alike letters in a ~5-letter window.
  • Edits in the body are permanent and can't be recalledOnce liver cells are edited, the change lasts for life and is copied as cells renew. Any off-target cut or unexpected long-term effect can't be undone, so safety must be proven over years.
  • Fat-bubble delivery mostly reaches the liverIn the blood, lipid nanoparticles pick up a protein (ApoE) that liver cells absorb. That makes the liver easy to edit, but most other organs (brain, muscle, lungs) remain hard to reach with enough dose.

How it works

3 parts
An mRNA vaccine vial: the same kind of lipid-nanoparticle 'fat bubble' packaging VERVE-102 uses to carry its editor to the liver
An mRNA vaccine vial: the same kind of lipid-nanoparticle 'fat bubble' packaging VERVE-102 uses to carry its editor to the liverPhoto: Miguel Tremblay · CC BY 4.0 (opens commons.wikimedia.org)
Deliver

Targeted fat bubbles

Lipid nanoparticles tagged with a sugar (GalNAc) that liver cells grab carry base-editor mRNA and a guide into the liver.

Edit

Turn off PCSK9

The base editor changes one DNA letter so the PCSK9 gene is no longer read properly; no double-strand cut is made.

Effect

More LDL cleared

PCSK9 destroys the liver's LDL receptors. Without it, more receptors pull LDL cholesterol out of the blood, for life.

Update log

2 updates

Mon 25 May

  • Major: PaperResearch

Tue 17 Jun 2025

  • Major: PressCommercial

About Eli Lilly

The team behind VERVE-102 (PCSK9 base editor)

Eli Lilly

Zepbound, obesity pill, retatrutide

US drugmaker that leads in obesity and diabetes drugs. Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) is among the world's best-selling drugs, its GLP-1 pill was approved in 2026, and retatrutide gave about 28% weight loss in Phase 3. It bought Verve (gene editing) in 2025.

  • Became the first drugmaker worth about $1 trillion (Nov 2025), thanks to tirzepatide.
  • Foundayo (orforglipron), a daily GLP-1 pill with no food or water rules, was FDA-approved for obesity on 1 Apr 2026.
  • Retatrutide gave 28.3% average weight loss at 80 weeks on the top dose in Phase 3 (May 2026).

lilly.com (opens lilly.com)Company profile →

Founded
1876150 yrs
Headquarters
United States
Status
Public
Listed
LLY (opens google.com)NYSE
Valuation
$1.1Tmarket capSep 2026
Works in
BiotechObesity & metabolism
Coverage
4 programs · 18 updateslatest 25d agochecked 25 Sep
Partners
Isomorphic LabsVerve Therapeutics (opens investor.lilly.com)
Suppliers
Chugai Pharmaceutical (opens chugai-pharm.co.jp)
People
David A. Ricks (opens en.wikipedia.org)Chair and CEODaniel SkovronskyChief Scientific Officer
Primer