SafeEdit: A Swedish–Swiss Partnership for Integrated Gene Editing Safety Assessment
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Countagen AB |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 499 700 |
| Project duration | October 2026 - March 2027 |
| Status | Ongoing |
| Venture | Preparation projects for international application within health |
| Call | Deepened international collaborations for healthy and resilient societies |
Purpose and goal
Gene-edited cell and gene therapies must show that editing has not caused unintended changes elsewhere in the genome. Regulators increasingly expect two independent methods: one that nominates possible off-target sites and one that confirms them. SafeEdit will formalise the collaboration between Countagen AB (Sweden) and the Corn Lab at ETH Zurich (Switzerland) and lay the groundwork for a joint European solution covering both steps.
Expected effects and result
The project will deliver a collaboration agreement with governance and an IP framework, a joint technical specification for linking the two methods, a co-designed validation protocol, a financing analysis and a three-year roadmap. It prepares a joint European application, e.g. under Eurostars/Eureka or Horizon Europe. In the longer term, the collaboration aims to contribute to safer gene therapies and stronger innovation ties between Sweden and Switzerland.
Planned approach and implementation
Six months (Oct 2026–Mar 2027), with Countagen as coordinator and ETH Zurich as collaborating partner. Four work packages: (1) partnership foundations (2) IP and financing analysis, (3) joint design of a validation protocol and a needs analysis among pharma and gene therapy developers, (4) strategic roadmap and EU positioning.