NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – DuPont Pioneer and the Broad Institute announced today that they will jointly provide non-exclusive licenses to CRISPR-Cas9 intellectual property under their respective control to any entities wanting to use the technology for commercial agricultural research and product development.
The partners said they will make the technology under their control freely available to universities and nonprofit organizations for academic research. The licensing framework provides non-exclusive access to IP from the Broad co-owned with its collaborators, including Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the New York Genome Center, New York University, The Rockefeller University, and the University of Iowa; and provides non-exclusive access to foundational IP from Pioneer and to IP from the licenses that Pioneer gained access to through Caribou Biosciences, ERS Genomics, and Vilnius University.
License limitations exclude certain CRISPR technology applications, including for gene drive or tobacco products for human use, the partners added. Broad and Pioneer will also continue to retain the right to grant independent, non-exclusive licenses for the CRISPR-Cas9 IP that they each control.
"The promise of CRISPR-Cas9 technology in the hands of many will result in a wide array of benefits for the global food supply ranging from higher and more stable yields of grains, fruits, and vegetables for farmers; more nutritious, healthier, and affordable foods for consumers; and improved sustainability of agricultural systems for society," Neal Gutterson, vice president of R&D at DuPont Pioneer, said in a statement. "It is profoundly important to ensure that this technology is made widely available for agriculture. By partnering with the Broad Institute, together we can maximize access to CRISPR-Cas9 around the world for the greater good."