Eli Lilly has signed an agreement valued at up to $1.12 billion with Germany-based Seamless Therapeutics to develop and commercialize gene-editing treatments for hearing loss, according to a Reuters report. The collaboration further expands Lilly’s growing portfolio of genetic and molecular approaches targeting inherited forms of sensorineural hearing loss.
Under the agreement, Lilly will gain access to Seamless Therapeutics’ proprietary technology to design specially engineered enzymes intended to correct certain gene mutations linked to hearing loss. These enzymes, referred to as programmable recombinases, are designed to make large, precise DNA changes at specific genomic locations without relying on the cell’s own DNA repair pathway.
Lilly will oversee development from preclinical testing through commercialization. Seamless CEO Albert Seymour told Reuters the company is open to additional partnerships beyond Lilly and said Seamless has raised more than $40 million to date. Seymour added that, including Lilly’s upfront payment, the company expects to be funded to advance its first experimental drug into laboratory studies by the end of the year.
Lilly’s $1.12 billion deal includes an upfront payment, research and development funding, and future payments tied to development and commercial milestones.
In a statement provided to Reuters, Lilly said the collaboration reflects its continued investment in genetic medicines, including platform technologies intended to address diseases with significant unmet need that are difficult or impossible to treat using traditional approaches.
Context: Lilly’s Expanding Portfolio in Genetic Hearing Therapies
The Seamless collaboration adds another modality to Lilly’s expanding strategy in hearing therapeutics. In 2022, Lilly acquired Akouos for $487 million, gaining access to gene therapy candidates aimed at genetic forms of hearing loss, including programs targeting otoferlin-related deafness that have shown early promise in children.
In May 2025, Lilly also partnered with South Korea-based Rznomics in a deal valued at more than $1.3 billion to co-develop RNA-editing therapies for sensorineural hearing loss. That collaboration leverages a trans-splicing ribozyme platform designed to correct mutations at the RNA level rather than altering DNA, offering a complementary approach to gene replacement and gene editing strategies.
Together, these moves underscore Lilly’s multi-pronged investment across gene therapy, RNA editing, and now DNA editing platform technologies as the company builds a longer-term pipeline beyond its blockbuster metabolic medicines.
About Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company is actively expanding its capabilities in RNA therapeutics and genetic medicine, including targeted programs in oncology, neurodegeneration, and hearing restoration.
About Seamless Therapeutics
Seamless Therapeutics is changing the paradigm of gene editing through a pioneering approach that has the potential to address unmet medical needs in patients who suffer from severe
conditions. Our technology platform unlocks the programming of recombinases, a highly versatile class of enzymes. We are applying our proprietary know-how to develop a pipeline of disease modifying product candidates across a broad spectrum of indications to expand the therapeutic potential of gene editing.
