Editas' gene editing technique at center of patent dispute

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Jon Chomitz

Editas Medicine CEO Katrine Bosley

Don Seiffert

BioFlash Editor- Boston Business Journal

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The rights to a ground-breaking technique of manipulating DNA known by the cryptic name of CRISPR-Cas9 — the basis of local biotech Editas Medicine — is at the center of a bitter patent dispute that could be worth billions in coming years.

In a report this week, MIT Technology Review detailed the battle between biologists Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, who have filed for a patent held by Swiss biotech CRISPR Therapeutics, and Feng Zhang of the Broad Institute, scientific founder of Editas in Cambridge.

The story is complicated to say the least, with Charpentier having co-founded CRISPR Therapeutics based on one patent application for the technique, and Zhang's Editas having received a patent award in April based on a separate application. Doudna, the article states, helped found Editas, but is now no longer connected with the company, and reportedly sold the rights to her patent to CRISPR Therapeutics.

The technique involves using genetic engineering for what's described as a "search and replace function" for DNA, changing the function of genes or making them inactive.

Editas earlier this week announced it is licensing the technology to the Broad Institute, Duke University and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Read the article in the MIT Technology Review here.