Ionis collaboration and license agreement

Terms of the agreement

In November 2022, the Company entered into a Collaboration and License Agreement with Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Ionis”) (the “Ionis Agreement”) to research, develop and commercialize investigational medicines using the Company’s genome editing technologies, with the goal of discovering novel medicines. Pursuant to the terms of the Ionis Agreement, the Company granted Ionis and its affiliates a worldwide exclusive, royalty-bearing license, with the right to grant sublicenses, to use all licensed systems and licensed products in the field of in vivo genome editing for all therapeutic, prophylactic, palliative, and analgesic uses in humans. In connection with the Ionis Agreement, the Company also has the right to exercise an exclusive option to co-develop and co-commercialize certain products under a drug discovery program. A joint steering committee was established by both parties to coordinate, oversee and monitor the research and drug discovery activities under the Ionis Agreement.

The parties will collaborate to discover therapeutic products under a drug discovery program and develop a drug discovery plan for each target, selected by Ionis. The target selection is divided into two waves: up to four targets in Wave 1 and up to four targets in Wave 2. For each drug discovery program, once the parties identify a development candidate that is suitable for further development, Ionis will be responsible for the development and commercialization of products resulting from such program. Per the terms of the Ionis Agreement, at any time prior to the designation of a development candidate for a drug discovery program and for any reason, Ionis may replace the collaboration target, provided such target has not previously been substituted out. Ionis may substitute (i) up to two Wave 1 targets and (ii) up to two Wave 2 targets.

The drug discovery activities for a program commence on the selection of a target and expire upon the earlier of (a) completion of all drug discovery activities for such program, (b) the fifth anniversary of the effective date and (c) selection of a development candidate for such drug discovery program. If one or more Wave 2 targets become collaboration targets as a result of the parties achieving enabled delivery and less than two years are remaining in the drug discovery term, then the term will be extended to the earlier of (i) the time that the Company completes all of its activities under the applicable drug discovery plan and (ii) the seventh anniversary of the effective date, subject to the Company’s consent.

The parties will also conduct an exploratory research program, and will jointly optimize gRNA and select delivery technologies and other activities. The exploratory research activities commence on the effective date and expire upon the earlier of (a) completion of all exploratory research activities established in the exploratory research plan, and (b) the fifth anniversary of the effective date.

The Company has the exclusive option to co-develop and co-commercialize the licensed products under a drug discovery program (the “Co-Co Option”) with Ionis. The Co-Co Option may be exercised for (a) the initial Wave 1 target (“Target 1”), (b) no more than one of the other three discovery programs for the Wave 1 targets, and (c) no more than two drug discovery programs for the Wave 2 targets that become collaboration targets. If the Company exercises the Co-Co Option for a particular drug discovery program, that drug discovery program will automatically be deemed a “Co-Co Program,” all corresponding licensed products be deemed “Co-Co Products,” the Company will be obligated to pay Ionis an option exercise fee, and the parties will enter into a separate co-development and co-commercialization agreement. The Co-Co Option exercise fee will equal 50% of Ionis’ internal costs and out-of-pocket costs incurred in the conduct of the drug discovery activities prior to the exercise of the Co-Co Option and be reduced by 50% of the Company’s corresponding costs incurred. Future development and commercialization costs will be shared equally. The Company may elect to reduce its cost-share percentage anywhere between 50% and 25% on a go-forward basis, provided the Company will continue to bear 50% of the costs of any clinical trials ongoing at the time of the election through the completion of the clinical trials.

The Company will manufacture all licensed systems and certain components of the applicable licensed products that are needed by Ionis for use in its development activities and all of the Company’s manufactured components needed by Ionis for use in its commercialization activities. The Company will provide the manufactured components at a price that represents the cost of goods plus 15%. As of March 31, 2026, the Company received a total of $2.5 million related to the manufactured components.

Pursuant to the terms of the Ionis Agreement, the Company has also been granted an option to obtain a non-exclusive, royalty-bearing license, with the right to grant sublicenses, for certain Ionis’ background technology to use in up to eight therapeutic products discovered by the Company in the field of in vivo genome editing and directed to a Collaboration Target (each such product, a “Metagenomi Product” and each such option an “Ionis IP Option”), but subject to encumbrance checks with respect to particular targets. A Collaboration Target is a target that is selected by Ionis, and, with respect to the Company is not the subject of discussions with a third party, is not the subject of a contractual grant of rights to a third party nor the subject to an internal research and development program. If the Company exercises its Ionis IP Option, the Company will pay to Ionis up to several million dollars per Metagenomi Product upon achievement of certain clinical and regulatory milestones. The Company is also obligated to pay Ionis royalties in an amount equal to a low single-digit royalty on the net sales of the applicable Metagenomi Product on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis.

In November 2022, the Company received an $80.0 million upfront payment from Ionis for the Wave 1 drug discovery research collaboration and selected Target 1. Ionis selected its second target (“Target 2”) in Wave 1 in December 2022, its third target (“Target 3”) in Wave 1 in November 2023, and its fourth target (“Target 4”) in Wave 1 in February 2024. Ionis has an option to select up to four Wave 2 targets at any time during the drug discovery term, if (a) an IND for any licensed product directed to a Wave 1 target is filed with the applicable regulatory authority or (b) the parties achieve enabled delivery for a non-liver target under the exploratory research activities, by providing written notice and by paying a Wave 2 target selection fee of $15.0 million or $30.0 million, depending on and per the selected target.

Ionis is obligated to reimburse the Company for all internal costs and out-of-pocket costs incurred in the performance of the exploratory research activities, up to an aggregate of $10.0 million, which is payable in quarterly installments of $0.5 million during the exploratory research term. As of March 31, 2026, the Company received a total of $6.5 million related to the reimbursable expenses. The Company is also eligible to receive (a) up to $29.0 million in future development milestone payments for each licensed product; (b) up to $60.0 million in future regulatory milestone payments for each licensed product; (c) up to $250.0 million in sales-based milestones for each licensed product; and (d) royalties on annual net sales of licensed products from a mid-single-digit to low-teens percentage, subject to customary reductions.

The term of the Ionis Agreement will continue (i) with respect to the drug discovery programs, until the expiration of all applicable royalty terms for a licensed product, (ii) with respect to the Co-Co Programs, until the parties cease all exploitation for the Co-Co Products that are the subject to such Co-Co Program, and with respect to the Metagenomi Products, until the expiration of the royalty term for a Metagenomi Product. The royalty term ends on the latest of the following two dates: (i) the expiration of (A) the last claim of any issued and unexpired patent, or (B) a claim within a patent application that has not been pending for more than seven years from the earliest date to which the claim or applicable patent application is entitled to claim priority and which claim has not been revoked, canceled, withdrawn, held invalid, or abandoned, or (ii) 12 years following the first commercial sale of a licensed product.

The Ionis Agreement may be terminated during the term by either party for an uncured material breach or bankruptcy by the other party. Additionally, Ionis may terminate the Ionis Agreement for convenience and without penalty, in its entirety or on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, by providing 90 days’ written notice.

Accounting analysis and revenue recognition

The Company concluded that the Ionis Agreement is in the scope of ASC 606 at the effective date and until the Company exercises its Co-Co Option for any drug discovery program, which was determined to not be probable at the effective date and as of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025. The Company also concluded that exclusive licenses and participation in a joint steering committee are not distinct from discovery research services and should thus be combined into one performance obligation (the “discovery program”). The Company also concluded that exploratory research services are a separate and distinct performance obligation (the “exploratory program”). The Ionis options for Wave 2 targets are optional purchases and do not have significant incremental discounts, as such, the options do not provide material rights.

The Company allocated the initial total estimated transaction price of $90.0 million, which consisted of an $80.0 million upfront payment received in November 2022 and $10.0 million in reimbursements for research costs, into two performance obligations, which was determined based on their estimated standalone selling prices. The Company concluded that future development and commercial supply agreements are at market terms, as the terms were consistent with industry standards as of the effective date. The Company constrains future milestone payments under the arrangement to the extent that the inclusion of such variable consideration could result in a significant reversal of cumulative revenue in future periods. The Company constrained all development and regulatory milestone payments at the effective date and as of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025. The Company is recognizing revenue of $80.0 million related to the discovery program and $10.0 million related to exploratory program over the research terms using an estimated cost-based input method as a measure of progress for each obligation.

In June 2024, the Company included previously constrained estimated manufacturing costs in the transaction price, resulting in a $3.4 million increase to variable consideration. The Company recognized collaboration revenue of $1.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2026, of which $0.3 million was included in deferred revenue as of December 31, 2025. The Company recognized collaboration revenue of $4.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025, of which $2.5 million was included in deferred revenue as of December 31, 2024. As of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, deferred revenue related to the Ionis Agreement was $10.9 million and $11.7 million, respectively. As of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, the accounts receivable balance was zero and $0.3 million, respectively. The value of the transaction price allocated to the remaining performance obligations was approximately $15.1 million as of March 31, 2026, which the Company expects to recognize as revenue over the next one to two years.

On April 1, 2026, the parties modified the drug discovery plan for one of the Wave 1 targets to perform new research services, which will result in additional costs and extended timing for this program. The parties also agreed that the exploratory research plan obligation has been discontinued as of April 1, 2026, and that there will be no additional exploratory cost reimbursements. The Company expects to account for these changes as a contract modification under ASC 606 in the second quarter of 2026, when the modifications were approved. The Company is currently evaluating the quantitative impact of the modification, which may result in a one-time non-cash reversal of previously recognized revenue.

Acuitas license agreement

In September 2025, the Company entered into a Non-Exclusive License Agreement (the “Acuitas License Agreement”) with Acuitas Therapeutics, Inc. (“Acuitas”) pursuant to which Acuitas granted the Company a non-exclusive license to certain Acuitas lipid nanoparticle (“LNP”) technology, including LNP patents, formulation processes, and analytical characterization methods for manufacturing products that incorporate the Company's proprietary genome editing constructs formulated with Acuitas LNP technology, to research, develop, sell, and commercialize certain licensed products in connection with a single target.

Simultaneous with the execution of the Acuitas License Agreement, the Company was obligated to pay a licensing fee of $3.0 million. As the licensed products have not reached technological feasibility and have no alternate use, the licensing fee was recorded as research and development expense. Further, the Company is also obligated to pay Acuitas (i) a license maintenance fee in the low seven figures, payable on the one year anniversary of the effective date of the Acuitas License Agreement and each twelve month anniversary thereafter until such time as the first patient is dosed in a Phase 1 study for a licensed product under the Acuitas License Agreement; (ii) milestone payments in the low to mid seven figures upon certain regulatory and commercialization milestones; and (iii) royalties in the low mid-single digit percentage of net sales. The Company assessed the milestone and royalty events involving the Acuitas License Agreement and determined that no accruals related to such events were required as of March 31, 2026.

The Acuitas License Agreement will remain in effect on a licensed product-by-licensed product and country-by-country basis until there are no outstanding royalty payments owed to Acuitas. Further, the Acuitas License Agreement may be terminated by either party for material breach or upon a party’s insolvency or bankruptcy, and Acuitas may immediately terminate in specified situations. Upon 30 days written notice, the Company has the right to terminate the Acuitas License Agreement at its discretion.

Affini-T development, option and license agreement

The Company was previously party to the Affini-T Agreement, entered into in June 2022. On September 30, 2025 (the “Termination Date”), the Company delivered to Affini-T a notice to terminate the Affini-T Agreement by and between the Company and Affini-T (the “Termination”), effective immediately, due to Affini-T’s making of an assignment for the benefit of creditors.

Prior to the Termination, the parties agreed to identify, develop or optimize certain reagents using the Company’s proprietary technology for Affini-T to use such reagents to develop and commercialize gene edited T-cell receptor (“TCR”)-based therapeutic products exclusively in the field of treatment, prevention or diagnosis of any human cancer using products with any engineered primary TCR alpha/beta T cells and non-exclusively in the field of treatment, prevention or diagnosis of any human cancer using products with certain other engineered immune cells worldwide.

During the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, the Company recognized zero and $0.2 million of collaboration revenue, respectively. As of March 31, 2026, there were no remaining unsatisfied performance obligations. As of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, the accounts receivable balance, net of allowance for doubtful accounts, and deferred revenue balances were zero.