Canaccord Genuity analyst Michelle Gilson attributes the selloff yesterday in shares of Homology Medicines (FIXX) to a pre-printed, and not peer-reviewed, paper that did not support the company's in vitro data around HR-mediated gene editing. The paper's author, who has previously worked with Sangamo Therapeutics (SGMO) on ZFN-mediated editing, was unable to induce homologous recombination without a nuclease, Gilson tells investors in a research note. "It is tough to understand why an author would choose this route of publication for a study of this nature," says the analyst. She sees "several key differences" between the author's and Homology's in vitro experiments. Further, Homology's technology has been externally validated, allowing Novartis (NVS) and other labs to perform their own in-house experiments using Homology plasmids, Gilson contends. She adds that following this validation, Novartis entered into a collaboration specifically revolving around Homology's gene editing technology for ophthalmic targets. The analyst keeps a Buy rating on Homology Medicines with a $37 price target. Gilson views the selloff in the shares as a buying opportunity into the Phase 1/2 pheNIX data by the end of 2019 for HMI-102 gene therapy in phenylketonuria.

TD Cowen analyst Yaron Werber raised the firm's price target on BeiGene (BGNE) to $236 from $235 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The firm updated its model to reflect lower collaborative revenue given termination of Novartis (NVS) agreement for tisle in Sep 2023.