The U.S. biotechnology company Verve Therapeutics Inc. has decided to pause enrollment in a study of its gene-editing treatment for high cholesterol due to safety concerns [27000df8]. The experimental approach had successfully lowered cholesterol levels in the first five participants, but the sixth participant developed abnormal liver enzymes and thrombocytopenia [27000df8]. Verve attributed these lab abnormalities to the lipid nanoparticles used to deliver the treatment [27000df8]. As a result, the company will prioritize the development of a second treatment using a different method [27000df8]. The setback is significant for Verve, as it aims to create a one-time treatment to prevent heart attacks by altering a cholesterol-raising gene [27000df8]. Verve Therapeutics is one of the few companies in the field of gene editing [27000df8]. The second treatment has already received clearance for clinical trials in the UK and Canada and is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2024 [27000df8]. As a result of the news, Verve Therapeutics' shares tumbled in premarket trading [27000df8].