DUBLIN & SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ERS Genomics Ltd and Knudra Transgenics, a leader in model-organism bioengineering, announced today a non-exclusive license agreement which provides Knudra with worldwide access to ERS’ CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing intellectual property for use in engineering of model organisms. ERS Genomics holds rights to the foundational CRISPR-Cas9 patent portfolio from Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier, an inventor of the breakthrough gene-editing technology.
Under the license Knudra scientists will use CRISPR technology to engineer C. elegans (commonly known as nematodes or roundworms) and D. rerio (commonly known as zebrafish) to build custom models and develop related products for their customers. Both organisms are used widely as powerful platforms for medical discovery and drug development in both basic research and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.
“Knudra is a young and energetic group of highly-skilled gene editing experts and we are very pleased to provide them with access to the most powerful genome engineering technology available. We believe Knudra is a great example of how a smaller company, dedicated to building platforms for medical discovery, can benefit from use of this exciting new technology. It is very important to ERS Genomics to provide broad access to the foundational technology and we are focused on enabling as many of these companies as possible to harness CRISPR-Cas9 in multiple areas,” said Eric Rhodes, CEO of ERS Genomics.
“CRISPR-Cas9 is a very powerful tool and we are excited to have gained access to this technology through ERS Genomics. We fully expect to see an enhancement to our current genome editing capabilities,” said Dr. Chris Hopkins, CSO of Knudra. “We look forward to applying CRISPR technology in our TAVASERV Transgenesis Services. We expect the resulting integration will provide significant benefits to our customers’ research needs,” commented Dr. Trisha Brock, CEO of Knudra.
Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier’s research unveiled the key components and mechanisms of the CRISPR-Cas9 system, leading to the landmark publication with Jennifer Doudna, (Jinek, Chylinski et al., 2012), which laid the foundation for the use of CRISPR-Cas9 as a highly versatile and precise genome editing tool.
Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
About ERS Genomics
ERS Genomics was formed to provide broad access to the foundational CRISPR-Cas9 intellectual property held by Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier. Non-exclusive licenses are available for research and sale of products and services across multiple fields including: research tools, kits, reagents; discovery of novel targets for therapeutic intervention; cell lines for discovery and screening of novel drug candidates; GMP production of healthcare products; production of industrial materials such as enzymes, biofuels and chemicals; and synthetic biology. For additional information please visit www.ersgenomics.com.
About Knudra
Knudra Transgenics was formed in late 2009. Since the first client project completed in early 2010, the Knudra team has been supplying researchers and private entities custom-built transgenics. Starting first in C elegans then expanding into zebrafish, Knudra has gained the experience to efficiently get clients the transgenics they need. The Knudra Team has a combined over 30 years of experience in making transgenic organisms. Knudra uses the latest advances in genome engineering to build powerful platforms of medical discovery. Knudra has transformed its passion for genome engineering into a first-in-kind contract research service. Knudra is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information see www.knudra.com.
