Locus licenses CRISPR tech to Janssen in potential $818m deal

Beskrivelse

Interview on 800 + USD Life Science deal in the CRISPR Antibiotics area

Emne

Antobiotic resistance, Phage therapy, CRISPR Cas 3. IP, Licensing

Periode9 jan. 2019

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1

Mediebidrag

  • TitelLocus licenses CRISPR tech to Janssen in potential $818m deal
    Grad af anerkendelseInternational
    Mediets navn/udløbLife Scienes Intellectual Property Review (LSIPR)
    MedietypeInternet
    Varighed/længde/størrelse1h
    Land/OmrådeStorbritannien
    Dato09/01/2019
    BeskrivelseLocus licenses CRISPR tech to Janssen in potential $818m deal US-based Locus Biosciences has announced it will license its CRISPR-Cas3 technology to Janssen, a subsidiary of American pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, in a deal worth a potential $818 million. The exclusive licensing agreement was announced in a press release issued Thursday, January 3. Under the terms of the deal, Locus will receive an initial upfront payment of $20 million, and is eligible to receive up to $798 million in royalties and commercial milestone payments. CRISPR-Cas3 is a gene-editing technology that can be used to promote bacterial cell death. The agreement will see Janssen develop and commercialise Locus’ CRISPR-Cas3 based “crPhage” platform to produce bacteriophage therapies. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. Janssen will use the technology to develop products that target two bacterial pathogens in order to treat infections of the respiratory tract and other organ systems. According to the press release, Locus’ DNA-shredding technology “precisely and selectively removes unwanted bacteria from the human body”. Paul Garofolo, CEO of Locus, said that the company’s platform was “uniquely positioned to selectively eradicate pathogenic bacteria of choice while preserving an otherwise healthy microbiome in patients”. “This collaboration with Janssen will enable us to further develop products on the platform to help patients in need around the world,” Garofolo added. Timo Minssen, director and founder of the Centre for Advanced Studies in Biomedical Innovation Law at the University of Copenhagen, told LSIPR that the deal was an “extremely interesting” application of CRISPR technology in tackling human maladies, such as potentially deadly lung infections caused by multi-resistant bacteria and/or viruses. Minssen added: “Combining phage therapies and CRISPR-Cas3 technology seems to offer some very interesting avenues for R&D in medical applications, and in particular in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.” There remain IP challenges which could potentially deter companies from investing in the technology, Minssen noted. These largely relate to patent eligibility, stemming from the US Supreme Court’s 2010 Mayo v Prometheus and 2013 AMP v Myriad decisions. These rulings affirmed that laws of nature are patent-ineligible. “These cases will also directly affect the patent-eligibility of isolated naturally occurring viruses, such as phages, and the processes in which these are used,” Minssen said. While many viruses would be CRISPR engineered might hence pass the eligibility threshold, they might still fail for an lack of nonobviousness/inventive step. Did you enjoy reading this story? Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories sent like this straight to your inbox. Locus Bioscences, Janssen, Johnson & Johnson, CRISPR-Cas3, CRISPR, bacteriophage, gene editing, genetics, patent licensin
    Producer/forfatterRory O'Neill
    URLhttps://www.lifesciencesipreview.com/news/locus-licenses-crispr-tech-to-janssen-in-818m-deal-3323
    PersonerTimo Minssen