CELLECTIS SA Sues Precision BioSciences for Infringement of Its Patents Concerning Meganuclease Technology

Biocitech, France, March the 13rd, 2008 – Cellectis SA, a world leader in rational genome engineering, has announced today that it filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Precision BioSciences, Inc. in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The lawsuit seeks a declaration that, by making and selling certain meganucleases, Precision BioSciences infringes two Cellectis patents relating to its proprietary meganuclease recombination systems.

The Precision Biosciences’ meganucleases at issue are intended to target site-specific DNA breaks and effect a desired genome modification in a given transgenic organism, such as a plant. The lawsuit seeks both monetary damages for infringement, as well as a permanent injunction preventing Precision BioSciences from any further making, using or selling of such meganucleases.

“We take our intellectual property rights very seriously and intend to vigorously pursue this patent infringement case,” said Dr. André Choulika, CEO and co-founder of Cellectis SA., and the man who participated in coining the term “meganuclease.”

Caroline Carmagnol ALIZE RP + 33 6 64 18 99 59 + 33 141 22 07 31