Charpentier granted new CRISPR/Cas9 patent
ERS Genomics has announced a new CRISPR/Cas9 US patent for use of the gene-editing technology in a single guide format.
The company licenses the rights to CRISPR patents co-owned by French microbiologist Emmanuelle Charpentier.
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued the patent (US number 10,266,850) to Charpentier, the Regents of the University of California and the University of Vienna.
In a press release issued today, April 23, ERS Genomics said that the patent “covers uses in any cellular or non-cellular environment and delivery of the CRISPR/Cas9 components by any methods”.
According to the release, the patent was the subject of an interference proceeding with the Broad Institute, a Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology affiliate which has previously rivalled Charpentier for ownership of CRISPR patent rights.
Eric Rhodes, CEO of ERS Genomics, said that the USPTO had “released the claims from the interference as they were broader in scope than the claims of the Broad Institute”.
“The scope of the patent includes any cellular or non-cellular environment, making it applicable not only in vitro but also across living plants, animals, and human cells,” Rhodes added.
It is the fourth CRISPR/Cas9 US patent granted to Charpentier, the University of California and the University of Vienna.
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