NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – CRISPR Therapeutics has signed a licensing and collaboration deal with France's Anagenesis Biotechnologies.
Under the terms of the agreement, CRISPR Therapeutics will receive an exclusive worldwide license to use Anagenesis' proprietary paraxial mesodermic multipotent cells (P2MCs) for cell therapy and for all human muscle diseases. P2MCs allows for the efficient, reproducible and chemically defined differentiation of pluripotent cells into skeletal muscle stem cells. CRISPR Therapeutics said the collaboration will initially focus on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).
"Bringing together the CRISPR gene-editing platform with the P2MC technology enables us to develop ex vivo therapeutic approaches for the treatment of DMD using muscle satellite stem cells," CRISPR Therapeutics CSO Bill Lundberg said in a statement.
Financial and other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The deal is the third in a string of collaborations for CRISPR Therapeutics. In recent months, the Basel, Switzerland-based firm has also signed agreements with Bayer and Vertex Pharmaceuticals.