In Iowa, DuPont Pioneer licensed exclusively the patent portfolio covering CRISPR-Cas genome editing technology for all agricultural uses and applications in plants from ERS Genomics. ERS was formed to commercialize the foundational intellectual property of the CRISPR-Cas technology from co-inventor and co-owner Emmanuelle Charpentier, Ph.D.
Pioneer is applying CRISPR-Cas as an advanced plant breeding tool to develop seed products for greater environmental resiliency, productivity and sustainability. Pioneer has defined CRISPR-Cas guiding principles, which include helping enable others wanting to develop agricultural products using CRISPR-Cas by providing access to its IP, technology capabilities, infrastructure and scientific expertise.
The licensing agreement with ERS complements DuPont’s previously announced CRISPR-Cas licensing and collaboration agreements with Caribou Biosciences and Vilnius University. The DuPont patent estate comprises more than 60 patents and patent applications related to the use of CRISPR for bacteria identification and immunization. It also comprises patent applications related to CRISPR-Cas gene editing technology.