Merck Licenses CRISPR Genome-Editing Technology to PanCELLa and Takara Bio USA

Merck Licenses CRISPR Genome-Editing Technology to PanCELLa and Takara Bio USA

 
* Licenses aim to accelerate drug discovery research leading to development of new therapies
* PanCELLa agreement marks Merck’s first CRISPR license for bioproduction
* Takara Bio USA agreement gives access to Merck’s CRISPR integration and vector technologies for Takara’s vector products and cell engineering services
 
Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced that it has signed agreements licensing its CRISPR technology to two companies — PanCELLa, a cell therapy firm based in Toronto, Canada andTakara Bio USA, Inc., a biotechnology company based in Mountain View, California, USA.

“Merck’s latest CRISPR licenses are the impetus for drug discovery that promises to accelerate research leading to the development of new therapies,” said Chris Ross, interim CEO, Life Science, at Merck. “We have been at the forefront of gene-editing innovation for 16 years and continue to work, both ethically and responsibly, with the global scientific community to solve problems by using our patented CRISPR technology.”

PanCELLa plans to use Merck’s CRISPR genome-editing technology to develop novel therapeutics using genetically modified cell lines. Merck’s technology will be used alongside PanCELLa’s FailSafe™ Cell System to give the manufacturing community additional and safer cellular products to fight difficult-to-treat diseases worldwide. Cell therapy involves injecting genetically modified cells from a donor or a patient’s own stem cells to produce a medicinal effect.
 
About Merck
Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 57,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2019, Merck generated sales of €16.2 billion in 66 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Performance Materials.