DUBLIN & REUTLINGEN, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ERS Genomics, NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen and its affiliate NMI TT Pharmaservices today announced a patent license agreement, under which NMI and NMI TT Pharmaservices gain non-exclusive access to ERS Genomics’ CRISPR/Cas9 patents to expand their custom cell-based research service offerings.
ERS Genomics holds rights to the foundational CRISPR/Cas9 patent portfolio from Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier, an inventor of the breakthrough gene-editing technology. NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen and its contract research organization (CRO) arm NMI TT Pharmaservices have built up a long-standing expertise in the development of custom target over-expressing and knock-out cell models, for identification and validation of drug targets as well as preclinical testing of drug candidates, which they offer on a fee-for-service basis to their numerous international pharma and biotech clients. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
“We are delighted to welcome NMI to our growing family of licensees and to enable yet another premier academic institution to pursue commercial applications of CRISPR/Cas9 technology,” said Eric Rhodes, CEO of ERS Genomics. Professor Katja Schenke-Layland, Managing Director of NMI, commented “The unparalleled versatility and power of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology is highly valued by us as well as by our partners and clients. This license enables us to further expand our cell-based service offerings in the CRISPR gene-editing space.”
ERS Genomics was formed to provide broad access to the foundational CRISPR/Cas9 intellectual property held by Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier. Non-exclusive licenses are available for research and sale of products and services across multiple fields including: research tools, kits, reagents; discovery of novel targets for therapeutic intervention; cell lines for discovery and screening of novel drug candidates; GMP production of healthcare products; production of industrial materials such as enzymes, biofuels and chemicals; and synthetic biology: www.ersgenomics.com.
NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen is a private research foundation dedicated to innovative applied research and development at the interface of life sciences and material sciences. Since its inception in 1985 and with meanwhile over 190 staff, NMI has become a sought and trusted partner in international grant-funded academic research consortia and a recognised provider of drug development support and services to pharma, biotech and medtech companies: www.nmi.de.
NMI TT Pharmaservices is a privately-held company that represents the CRO arm of NMI. With an established and ever-growing base of pharma and biotech customers, NMI TT Pharmaservices has developed a comprehensive service portfolio in custom cell solutions (e.g. custom cell lines, patient-derived 3D cell models, cell-based assays), protein profiling (e.g. DigiWest, RPPA, Luminex, Simoa) and electrophysiology (e.g. patch-clamp, MEA multielectrode array assays, ion channel cell lines): www.nmi-tt.de/pharmaservices.
