The University of California, the University of Vienna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, PhD, co-founder of CRISPR Therapeutics in Cambridge, Mass., are now the co-owners of a new patent for CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing.
The patent covers a system that combines the use of single molecule guide RNAs with the Cas9 protein to target and edit DNA molecules both in vitro and in live cells. According to the National Institutes of Health, CRISPR-Cas9 technology is "faster, cheaper, more accurate and more efficient" than many other gene editing methods.
This is the fourth CRISPR-Cas9-related patent for UC. It was granted following an interference proceeding concerning other patents and a pending application from the Broad Institute, Harvard University and MIT, all in Cambridge. The university system has also recently received notices of allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for three more CRISPR-Cas9 patent applications.
UC allows its patented technologies, including those involving CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, to be used by nonprofit institutions for educational and research purposes, and by Berkeley, Calif.-based Caribou Biosciences biotech firm for commercial licensing.
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