ToolGen licenses CRISPR/Cas9 technology to Thermo Fisher Scientific
Korean biotechnology company ToolGen will license its CRISPR/Cas9 intellectual property portfolio to Thermo Fisher Scientific. The IP is based on the discovery of ToolGen co-founder Dr Jin Soo Kim, who found that the CRISPR/Cas9 system can be used to engineer cells found in multicellular organisms such as mammals, plants and fungi.
The system was originally identified as part of the adaptive immune system of many bacterial species and is currently being used by scientists for targeted genome engineering in eukaryotic cells. Thermo Fisher will utilise the technology to develop and market CRISPR reagent kits, augmenting the company’s portfolio in the complementary transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN) technique.
“This licence agreement further strengthens the relationship between ToolGen and Thermo Fisher in the area of genome editing,” said ToolGen CEO Jongmoon Kim. “It shows the importance of ToolGen’s IP within the complex CRISPR IP landscape and demonstrates our focus on establishing global partnerships to maximise the potential of our technologies for a wide array of applications.”
Thermo Fisher Scientific will be granted a worldwide licence for research applications including the development and sale of reagents, cell lines and animal models, as well as rights for high-throughput screening, diagnostics and bioproduction. Thermo Fisher Scientific also has the right to grant sublicences in each of these fields. ToolGen retains its rights in broad areas including high-throughput screening, diagnostics, bioproduction, plant biotechnology and gene/cell therapy.
“Genome editing technologies are among the most exciting innovations in the life sciences in recent years, truly enabling scientists to understand gene function, the underlying molecular mechanisms for cell function and disease onset and progression,” said Helge Bastian, vice president and general manager of synthetic biology at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “This licence agreement, as part of Thermo Fisher Scientific’s larger strategy, underlines Thermo Fisher Scientific’s commitment to invest into further developing these genome editing technologies into groundbreaking products that enable our customers to make our world healthier, cleaner and safer.”
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