It's easy to see why investors might assume that early-stage gene-editing companies like CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRSP) are too inscrutable to approach. But you don't need to understand a bunch of complicated biotechnology concepts to appreciate some of the finer points that impact this company's chances of being a good investment. 

In fact, smart investors know (at least) three key things about this business, and you should too -- especially if you're considering purchasing shares sometime soon. Let's jump in and examine each of these high-impact factors in detail. 

Well-informed biopharma investors understand that drug development collaborations are one of the industry's most important mechanisms for improving the odds that pre-revenue companies will succeed. CRISPR has a few partners, but its most important one by far is Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX). Under the pair's collaboration agreements, Vertex has control over CRISPR's exa-cel program.

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Source Fool.com