BEAM-101 BEACON Phase 1/2 SCD Update at ASH 2026
Updated Phase 1/2 BEAM-101 data in sickle cell at ASH 2026 — Beam’s first base-editing therapy. Approved benchmark in same indication: CASGEVY. Watch: HbF % elevation, VOC reduction, conditioning-related safety.
What’s at stake
BEAM-101 is an ex vivo base-editing therapy developed by Beam Therapeutics for sickle cell disease that uses an adenine base editor (ABE) to reactivate fetal hemoglobin in a patient's own blood stem cells. Unlike CRISPR/Cas9, which creates double-strand DNA breaks, base editing chemically converts a single DNA letter (A→G) at the HBG1/2 promoter without cutting the double helix — an approach designed to improve editing precision and reduce chromosomal rearrangements. Elevated fetal hemoglobin compensates for the defective adult sickle hemoglobin, preventing red cell sickling; BEAM-101 is in Phase 1/2 with data presented at hematology conferences.
No primer in glossary yet.
- ASHconferenceAmerican Society of Hematology Annual Meeting
The major heme/onc meeting (~30,000 attendees). Early-December; key venue for blood cancer and rare hematology readouts.
of 1 historical Phase 2 readouts in Oncology - Heme: 1 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative.
How Ph2 readouts in Oncology - Heme have landed.
Reference, not prediction. We surface the historical record so you can read it yourself. We never extrapolate to the upcoming event.
Competitive landscape
| Drug | Company | Modality | Mechanism | Phase | Next catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| reni-cel | EDIT | cell therapy | CRISPR/Cas12a HBG1/2 promoter edit | CONFERENCE · May 26 | |
| CASGEVYexagamglogene autotemcel | CRSP | cell therapy | CRISPR/Cas9 BCL11A enhancer edit | CONFERENCE · Dec 26 | |
| CB-010 | CRBU | cell therapy | allogeneic CRISPR-edited anti-CD19 CAR-T | CONFERENCE · May 26 | |
| JAKAFIruxolitinib | INCY | small molecule | JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor | READOUT · Sep 26 |
Prior BEAM reactions to Readout events
| Date | Headline | Outcome | 1W | 1M | 6M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2025 | BEAM-101 — Phase 2b Topline Met Primary Endpoint | positive | +22.6% | +31.3% | +31.6% |
Disclosure trail
- Apr 22, 2026·8d agopinned · highest confidenceMED confPRMONTHtop claimDEC2026
“Beam plans to share an updated BEAM-101 dataset from the BEACON study at ASH 2026.”
conf 84%via llm