Beam Therapeutics has filed a lawsuit against a former scientist and two companies, alleging theft of intellectual property. The Cambridge-based gene-editing firm claims Zi Jun "Emma" Wang accessed its electronic lab notebooks outside normal working hours and used the information to help found YolTech Therapeutics, a Shanghai-based company.
According to the complaint, YolTech later entered into a deal with venture capital firms RA Capital and RTW to launch a new startup called Serapha Bio. Both YolTech and Serapha are named as defendants. The lawsuit was filed late last week, though specific details of the alleged theft have not been made public.
The case reflects broader geopolitical tensions in the biotech industry, as American companies increasingly worry about technology transfer to Chinese competitors. The outcome could have implications for how U.S. gene-editing firms protect their research and how cross-border partnerships are structured.