WILMINGTON, Del., Oct. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, DuPont
and Caribou Biosciences, a leading developer of CRISPR-Cas
technologies for genome editing, jointly announced a strategic
alliance. As part of the agreement, DuPont and Caribou have
cross-licensed their respective patent portfolios, with DuPont
receiving exclusive intellectual property rights for CRISPR-Cas
technology applications in major row crops, and non-exclusive
rights in other agricultural and industrial bioscience
applications.
In addition, the alliance between DuPont and Caribou involves a
multi-year research collaboration with scientists from the two
organizations focused on enhancing the breadth, versatility and
efficiency of the core CRISPR-Cas toolkit. DuPont also has made a
minority equity investment in Caribou to further strengthen the
working relationship.
"DuPont intends to lead in the application of CRISPR-Cas
technology to improve agricultural productivity and enhance food
security. Our alliance with Caribou is now at the forefront of this
emerging science and will speed our development of this important
platform to create long-term value for our company and our
customers," said James C. Borel, executive vice president, DuPont.
"Specifically, we believe CRISPR-Cas has significant potential to
advance plant breeding and expand the range of agricultural
solutions available to farmers. We look forward to bringing related
products to market in the next five to 10 years."
CRISPR-Cas technology is capable of making exact changes to the
DNA of most organisms. In plants, this editing capability can be
applied to promote drought tolerance and disease resistance to
protect plant health and increase crop yields. It also can provide
direct consumer benefits like the removal of food allergens and the
improvement of the nutrient composition of plant-derived oils.
"We are delighted to work with DuPont on what we believe will be
a truly groundbreaking collaboration," said Rachel Haurwitz, Ph.D., president and chief
executive officer and co-founder of Caribou Biosciences. "DuPont
has been responsible for numerous breakthroughs in CRISPR biology
and we are excited to gain access to their impressive knowledge and
expertise in developing and applying Cas-mediated genome editing
technologies in promising commercial areas. This initiative will
serve as a vital accelerator to our advancement of new applications
for CRISPR-Cas gene editing that will help bring the tremendous
promise this technology holds for patients and consumers to
reality."
Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
This most recent license and collaboration agreement completed
by DuPont represents a cornerstone of its strategy as an early
adopter and leader in the CRISPR-Cas field. It complements DuPont's
own estate of related patent applications, and adds to
the previously announced licensing and collaboration agreements
with Vilnius University.
CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic
Repeats) is a feature naturally existing in bacteria providing
protection against viruses. DuPont scientists were among the first
to understand how the CRISPR system works in bacteria. CRISPR-Cas
(CRISPR associated proteins) is one of several CRISPR-derived tools
and differs from the natural CRISPR process used to identify and
immunize bacteria. The DuPont patent portfolio comprises more than
60 patents and patent applications related to the use of CRISPR for
bacteria identification and immunization. It also comprises
multiple patent applications related to the CRISPR-Cas genome
editing technology.
DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and
engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative
products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes
that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and
thought leaders, we can help find solutions to such global
challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere,
decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the
environment. For additional information about DuPont and its
commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit
www.dupont.com.
Forward Looking Statements: This document contains
forward-looking statements which may be identified by their use of
words like "plans," "expects," "will," "believes," "intends,"
"estimates," "anticipates" or other words of similar meaning. All
statements that address expectations or projections about the
future, including statements about the company's strategy for
growth, product development, regulatory approval, market position,
anticipated benefits of recent acquisitions, timing of anticipated
benefits from restructuring actions, outcome of contingencies, such
as litigation and environmental matters, expenditures and financial
results, are forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements
are not guarantees of future performance and are based on certain
assumptions and expectations of future events which may not be
realized. Forward-looking statements also involve risks and
uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control. Some
of the important factors that could cause the company's actual
results to differ materially from those projected in any such
forward-looking statements are: fluctuations in energy and raw
material prices; failure to develop and market new products and
optimally manage product life cycles; ability to respond to market
acceptance, rules, regulations and policies affecting products
based on biotechnology; significant litigation and environmental
matters; failure to appropriately manage process safety and product
stewardship issues; changes in laws and regulations or political
conditions; global economic and capital markets conditions, such as
inflation, interest and currency exchange rates; business or supply
disruptions; security threats, such as acts of sabotage, terrorism
or war, weather events and natural disasters; ability to protect
and enforce the company's intellectual property rights; successful
integration of acquired businesses and separation of
underperforming or non-strategic assets or businesses, including
timely realization of the expected benefits from the separation of
Performance Chemicals. The company undertakes no duty to update any
forward-looking statements as a result of future developments or
new information.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dupont-and-caribou-biosciences-announce-strategic-alliance-300156456.html
SOURCE DuPont