Under the terms of the deals, Illumina and Monsanto will have access to NRGene's genome assembly and analysis technologies for ag-bio research projects.
CRISPR/Cpf1 can serve as an alternative or even complementary genome editing technology to CRISPR/Cas9, which Monsanto has also licensed from the Broad.
The technology is based on engineered zinc finger DNA-binding proteins, which bind to specific functional domains to create transcription factors capable of activating or repressing target genes.
The program is part of the company's BioDirect initiative, which relates to the use of topically applied RNAi-based treatments for pest, weed, and disease control in crop plants.
