NEW YORK — MilliporeSigma, through its Sigma-Aldrich business, has licensed its portfolio of CRISPR-related intellectual property to Israeli agbio firm BetterSeeds for use in plants.
According to MilliporeSigma, BetterSeeds will use the patented technology for trait improvement in cash crops such as cannabis and cowpea. Other terms of the deal, including financials, were not disclosed.
"CRISPR-based integration is a fundamental tool for many genome-editing applications but has historically been exceptionally difficult to do in plants," Nina Bauer, head of gene editing and novel modalities at MilliporeSigma, said in a statement. "With this collaboration, we aim to test the boundaries of the currently available technology in this critical sector helping to bring food security to millions whilst lowering the environmental impact of the farming process."
In mid-2019, Burlington, Massachusetts-based MilliporeSigma partnered with the Broad Institute to develop a framework for streamlining the way they offer nonexclusive licenses to their respective CRISPR IP.