CRISPR patent granted to the University of California

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A potentially valuable patent on the revolutionary gene modification technology known as CRISPR will soon be awarded to the University of California, according to a document filed Friday by the US Patent Office .

The US Patent and Trademark Office's decision to grant the patent could fuel a long-standing dispute between the University and the Broad Institute, a Mbadachusetts Institute-affiliated biology and genomics research center. of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, which also holds patents on CRISPR.

CRISPR's patent rights could potentially reach billions of dollars, as technology could revolutionize disease treatment, crop engineering and other areas.

CRISPR works as a type of molecular scissors capable of eliminating unwanted genetic material, such as genetic mutations badociated with diseases, and replacing them with new ones. Easier to use than older techniques, it has quickly become a preferred method of gene editing in research laboratories.