Merck KGaA Wins Chinese CRISPR Patent

China’s patent office has granted a patent application filed by German pharmaceuticals and chemicals producer Merck for use of the company’s CRISPR technology in a genomic-integration method for eukaryotic cells.

The new patent covers chromosomal integration. Using the method, scientists can cut the chromosomal sequence of eukaryotic cells (such as mammalian and plant cells) and insert an external or donor DNA sequence into the cells.

In this way, Merck explains, a disease-associated mutation can be replaced with a beneficial or functional sequence, which is important for creating disease models. Additionally, the method can be used to insert transgenes that label endogenous proteins for visual tracking within cells.

With 13-years of experience in genome editing, the Darmstadt-based company also has related patent applications for its insertion CRISPR method in the US, Brazil, India and Japan. It currently holds similar key patents granted by authorities in Australia, Canada, Europe, Israel, Singapore and South Korea.

“Including China, we have received seven crucial patents for our foundational CRISPR technology, which defines an exciting new path for medical research and treatments for some of the toughest medical conditions, including cancer, hereditary and rare diseases,” said Udit Batra, member of the Merck executive board and CEO, Life Science.

As “a genome editing leader,” Batra said the company actively licenses its integration patents for therapeutic use, basic science research and agricultural biotechnology.

Merck said the CRISPR genome editing technology, which allows the precise modification of chromosomes in living cells, is advancing treatment options for a variety of medical conditions, ranging from identifying genes associated with cancer and rare diseases to reversing mutations that cause blindness.

Among its own “significant contributions” to the genome-editing field, the company claims a first in offering custom biomolecules for genome editing globally, driving adoption of the technology by researchers worldwide. It also prides itself on being first to manufacture arrayed CRISPR libraries covering the entire human genome, thereby accelerating cures for diseases.

Due to the ethical concerns surrounding genome editing, Merck has established a Bioethics Advisory Panel to provide guidance for research and applied research in which its businesses are involved.

The German company also has defined what it said is a “clear operational position” on the technology, “taking into account scientific and societal issues while not blocking any promising therapeutic approaches for use in research and applications.”