Partnership provides Medicines Discovery Catapult access to CRISPR gene editing technology across a broad range of drug discovery applications

ERS Genomics Limited (‘ERS’), the CRISPR licensing Company, and Medicines Discovery Catapult (‘MDC’), an independent, not-for-profit drug discovery innovation centre, have signed a non-exclusive commercial-use CRISPR license agreement. The partnership combines ERS’s CRISPR/Cas9 patent portfolio with MDC’s world-class expertise and technology.

MDC and its partners will benefit from access to ERS’ entire CRISPR/Cas9 portfolio – the foundational CRISPR/Cas9 intellectual property held by Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier. This will extend MDC’s ability to provide breakthrough products and services that help de-risk drug discovery, drive sector productivity and attract investment.

The agreement adds gene editing to MDC’s already strong research and commercial capabilities in cellular science and biomarkers. MDC and ERS believe the partnership will lead to the development of unique drug discovery tools and unlock insights that will drive faster, more effective drug discovery research in the UK and beyond.

Professor Chris Molloy, CEO of Medicines Discovery Catapult, commented: “At MDC, we are always looking for the right partnerships to drive innovation across our community, helping them bring medicines to market faster for patient benefit. This agreement with ERS Genomics offers huge potential for entrepreneurial scientists. By using the CRISPR/Cas9 portfolio with our world-class expertise and technologies, we can deliver more breakthroughs together.”

John E Milad, CEO, ERS Genomics, said: “We welcome MDC to our family of licensees. Their extensive network of partners and collaborators across the private and public sectors, including CROs, universities, research institutes, and the NHS, will continue to widen access to CRISPR/Cas9 in drug discovery.”

ERS Genomics provides licensing to CRISPR/Cas9 technology for companies interested in pursuing its use in their commercial programs. Comprising 100+ patents globally, ERS’ portfolio encompasses CRISPR/Cas9 usage in all cells, including bacteria, archaea, yeasts, and algae. ERS Genomics licenses these patents via its direct license from Emmanuelle Charpentier and now has nearly 150 licenses in place worldwide.

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