CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Intellia Therapeutics, a leading genome editing company focused on the development of potentially curative therapeutics using CRISPR technology, announced in a press release that China’s State Intellectual Property Office (“SIPO”) has indicated that it will grant a patent broadly covering CRISPR/Cas9 single-guide gene editing methods and compositions.  The patent includes claims covering methods for editing DNA in non-cellular and cellular settings, including in eukaryotic cells such as human and mammalian cells.  It also includes CRISPR/Cas9 composition of matter and system claims for use in any setting, including claims covering the use of CRISPR/Cas9 in producing medicines for treating disease.

“SIPO’s decision further expands our IP portfolio, and is further global recognition that Jennifer Doudna, Emmanuelle Charpentier and their team are the pioneers in the application of CRISPR/Cas9 in all cell types,” said Intellia Therapeutics Chief Executive Officer and President, Nessan Bermingham, Ph.D. “Intellia continues to build on preclinical work and to focus on the development of our pipeline of novel human therapeutics that will potentially transform the lives of patients with genetic diseases.”

The European Patent Office and the United Kingdom’s Intellectual Property Office have previously issued patents from the same underlying international patent application.  This international patent application is based on the same US priority applications that were filed starting in May 25, 2012 by the Regents of the University of California, the University of Vienna and Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier (collectively, “the UC Intellectual Property”).  Intellia has rights to the UC Intellectual Property, including the European and UK patents, for human therapeutic, prophylactic, and palliative uses (including companion diagnostics), excluding anti-fungal and anti-microbial applications. Intellia obtained these rights through a 2014 license agreement with Caribou Biosciences, Inc., which is the exclusive licensee of the University of California and University of Vienna, two of the co-owners of the intellectual property.  In the United States, certain patent claims from the UC Intellectual Property were involved in an interference proceeding with patents and patent applications owned by the Broad Institute et al. before the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“the PTAB”), and the PTAB decision to terminate the interference is currently on appeal at the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.