ERS Genomics and IRBM Sign CRISPR/Cas9 License Agreement

License agreement provides IRBM access to CRISPR gene editing technology to be applied across its drug discovery services offering

DUBLIN & ROME--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ERS Genomics Limited (‘ERS’), the CRISPR licensing Company, and IRBM, a leader in the field of drug discovery, today announced a non-exclusive CRISPR/Cas9 license agreement. The agreement grants IRBM access to ERS’ CRISPR/Cas9 patent portfolio.

IRBM is a drug discovery CRO with expertise ranging from target validation and hit finding to preclinical candidate nomination across various therapeutic areas, including oncology, infectious diseases, and neuroscience. The company has contributed to the discovery and development of four marketed therapeutics for HIV, HCV, ovarian cancer, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Carlo Toniatti, MD, PhD, CSO, IRBM, said: “We are committed to delivering high quality drugs by leveraging our broad range of expertise and capabilities across the entire preclinical drug discovery continuum. With the integration of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology we are increasing our capability to identify and validate potential drug targets, to generate more predictive pre-clinical models and to elucidate the mechanisms of action of novel therapeutics.”

John E Milad, CEO, ERS Genomics, commented: “We are committed to supporting cutting-edge research and expanding the horizons of medical innovation by providing companies such as IRBM with the ability to take advantage of CRISPR/Cas9 technology. We look forward to seeing the innovative ways in which our gene editing technology will be utilised in various stages of drug discovery, providing candidates for a wide range of therapeutic areas.”

ERS Genomics provides licensing to CRISPR/Cas9 technology for companies interested in pursuing its use in their commercial programs. Comprising 100+ patents globally, ERS’ portfolio encompasses CRISPR/Cas9 usage in all cells, including eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells such as mammalian cells, bacteria, archaea, yeasts, algae, and insects. ERS Genomics licenses these patents via its direct license from Emmanuelle Charpentier and now has nearly 150 licenses in place worldwide.

Financial details of the agreement are not disclosed.