NEW YORK – MilliporeSigma, the US and Canadian life science business of German biotechnology firm Merck KGaA, said on Wednesday that it has signed an agreement to license its patented CRISPR-Cas9 technology to functional genomics products and services provider Cellecta.
Financial and other terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Cellecta provides its customers with RNAi and CRISPR technologies for the discovery and characterization of novel therapeutic targets and genetic profiling for drug and biomarker discovery and validation. The company said it will use the CRISPR IP it has licensed from MilliporeSigma to offer CRISPR-mediated targeted gene knock-in services to give scientists more options for therapeutic and disease research.
"The technology enables us to provide a more comprehensive range of options for cell modification to our customers," Paul Diehl, Cellecta's chief operating officer, said in a statement. "More specifically, access to this technology allows us to conduct integrated knock-in which is a key component of our customers' drug testing."
MilliporeSigma said it currently holds 40 CRISPR-related patents worldwide in methods and composition, including the CRISPR-Cas9 foundational technology for genetic integration in mammalian cells. The company is actively licensing its CRISPR technology for therapeutic and other uses, and is seeking collaboration partners for research and product development.