UC defends CRISPR patent rights in Court of Appeals

The University of California will argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to overturn the February 2017 ruling of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and reinstate the interference regarding the patent rights for CRISPR-Cas9.A research team led by UC Berkeley professor Jennifer Doudna and former University of Vienna professor Emmanuelle Charpentier was the first to invent methods for using CRISPR-Cas9 outside its natural environment. The Doudna-Charpentier team was the first to disclose, file a patent application, and publish how the CRISPR-Cas9 system works to cleave DNA and employ the necessary and sufficient components of CRISPR-Cas9 in any environment – including plant, animal, and human cells – to make precise alterations to DNA. This stunning scientific breakthrough has the potential to cure countless genetic disorders from sickle cell anemia to Parkinsons, as well as other important applications.