DuPont Pioneer and Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Join Forces to Enable Democratic Access to CRISPR Licensing in Agriculture

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and JOHNSTON, Iowa, Oct. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DuPont Pioneer and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard announced today that they have reached an agreement to jointly provide non-exclusive licenses to foundational CRISPR-Cas9 intellectual property under their respective control for use in commercial agricultural research and product development. These two major CRISPR-Cas9 license holders are coming together with the shared goal of enabling all entities wanting to apply the technology for agricultural applications with a full range of CRISPR-Cas9 tools. Such foundational intellectual property (IP) for CRISPR-Cas9 technology will be freely available to universities and nonprofit organizations for academic research. Pioneer is a business unit of the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont™.

"The promise of CRISPR-Cas9 technology in the hands of many will result in a wide array of benefits for the global food supply ranging from higher and more stable yields of grains, fruits and vegetables for farmers; more nutritious, healthier and affordable foods for consumers; and, improved sustainability of agricultural systems for society," said Neal Gutterson, vice president of Research & Development at DuPont Pioneer. "It is profoundly important to ensure that this technology is made widely available for agriculture. By partnering with the Broad Institute, together we can maximize access to CRISPR-Cas9 around the world for the greater good."

"When DuPont Pioneer initially approached us to secure a license for commercial research, we both saw a unique opportunity to provide much broader access to the technology for agriculture," said Eric Lander, president and founding director of the Broad Institute. "We applaud DuPont Pioneer for its commitment to advancing research and commercialization to accelerate progress in agriculture."

The complex CRISPR licensing landscape includes patents and patent applications from multiple parties. Entities often desire access to comprehensive IP, to ensure their ability to apply the scientific tools as widely as possible. To enable such access, Pioneer and Broad Institute have agreed on a joint non-exclusive licensing framework for agricultural use that (i) continues to provide non-exclusive access to IP from Broad Institute co-owned with its collaborators (including Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York Genome Center, New York University, The Rockefeller University, and the University of Iowa), and (ii) provides non-exclusive access to foundational IP from Pioneer and to IP from the licenses that Pioneer gained access through Caribou Biosciences, ERS Genomics and Vilnius University. License limitations exclude certain CRISPR technology applications, including for gene drive or tobacco products for human use.

Broad and Pioneer continue to retain the right to grant independent, non-exclusive licenses for the CRISPR-Cas9 IP that each institution controls to any interested entity.

To inquire about a license, commercial users should email Pioneer at openinnovation@pioneer.com or visit the Broad website or contact licensing@broadinstitute.org. Academic and nonprofit researchers do not require a license to use the technology for research.

Learn more about CRISPR-Cas applications in agriculture at http://crisprcas.pioneer.com

Learn more about the Broad Institute's efforts to offer CRISPR tools for agriculture on the Broad website.

About the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard was launched in 2004 to empower this generation of creative scientists to transform medicine. The Broad Institute seeks to describe all the molecular components of life and their connections; discover the molecular basis of major human diseases; develop effective new approaches to diagnostics and therapeutics; and disseminate discoveries, tools, methods, and data openly to the entire scientific community.

Founded by MIT, Harvard, Harvard-affiliated hospitals, and the visionary Los Angeles philanthropists Eli and Edythe L. Broad, the Broad Institute includes faculty, professional staff, and students from throughout the MIT and Harvard biomedical research communities and beyond, with collaborations spanning over a hundred private and public institutions in more than 40 countries worldwide. For further information about the Broad Institute, go to http://www.broadinstitute.org/.

About DuPont Pioneer
DuPont Pioneer, a business unit of DowDuPont Agriculture Division, is the world's leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics, providing high-quality seeds to farmers in more than 90 countries. Pioneer provides agronomic support and services to help increase farmer productivity and profitability and strives to develop sustainable agricultural systems for people everywhere. Science with Service Delivering Success^®.

About DowDuPont Agriculture Division
DowDuPont Agriculture, a business division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), combines the strengths of DuPont Pioneer, DuPont Crop Protection and Dow AgroSciences. Together, the Agriculture division provides growers around the world with the most complete portfolio in the industry, developed through a robust research pipeline across germplasm, biotech traits and crop protection. DowDuPont Agriculture is committed to delivering innovation, helping growers increase productivity and ensuring food security for a growing global population. DowDuPont intends to separate the Agriculture division into an independent, publicly traded company. More information can be found at www.dow-dupont.com. 

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10/18/17
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SOURCE Broad Institute