DURHAM, N.C. — Precision BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: DTIL) has reached a significant milestone in the pursuit of a chronic hepatitis B cure. The company announced today that it has been selected to deliver a high-profile, late-breaking oral presentation at The Liver Meeting 2026, the 77th annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).
The presentation, scheduled for November 8 in Denver, Colorado, will feature new clinical data from the company’s ongoing Phase 1 ELIMINATE-B trial. Led by presenter Man-Fung Yuen, the talk—titled “Durable pgRNA loss in both HBeAg positive and negative patients treated with PBGENE-HBV supports path towards viral cure”—is expected to provide critical insights into the potential of the company’s proprietary ARCUS® gene editing platform.
Chronic hepatitis B remains a global health crisis, responsible for widespread liver damage, cirrhosis, and increased risks of liver cancer. Current standard-of-care treatments rarely result in a functional cure because the virus persists in the liver through covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), which acts as the template for viral replication.
Precision BioSciences’ candidate, PBGENE-HBV, is designed to address this fundamental hurdle. It is the only clinical-stage program specifically engineered to target and eliminate cccDNA. By clearing this viral reservoir, the therapy aims to achieve a sustained loss of pregenomic RNA (pgRNA), the precursor for HBV DNA. The company’s approach is unique in its prospective use of repeat lipid nanoparticle (LNP) administration, a strategy aimed at achieving a permanent viral cure.
“Our goal with PBGENE-HBV is to achieve a viral cure as measured by sustained undetectable HBV DNA off all nucleos(t)ide therapy,” the company noted in a statement. The FDA has previously indicated that undetectable HBV DNA is a validated endpoint for defining a cure in chronic hepatitis B patients, and the program has already been granted Fast Track designation by the agency.
The ongoing ELIMINATE-B study is currently evaluating the safety and efficacy of the treatment across a diverse, global patient population, including both HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative individuals. The upcoming data presentation is anticipated to clarify the optimal dose and administration frequency required to safely and effectively eliminate cccDNA in humans.
Precision BioSciences continues to leverage its ARCUS platform to pioneer sophisticated in vivo gene editing therapies. Unlike other gene editing technologies, ARCUS utilizes a proprietary nuclease with a smaller, simpler structure, which the company believes allows for more precise therapeutic outcomes. As the company advances its pipeline, the data presented at The Liver Meeting will serve as a key indicator of whether its gene elimination strategy can successfully translate into a transformative, long-term solution for the millions of people living with chronic hepatitis B.
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