MilliporeSigma Licenses CRISPR Gene-Editing Technology to Evotec

BURLINGTON, Mass., Nov. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MilliporeSigma today announced that it has signed a license agreement providing Evotec SE access to MilliporeSigma's foundational CRISPR intellectual property. Evotec, an international biotechnology company headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, will use MilliporeSigma's CRISPR genome-editing technology to create edited cell lines for Evotec's commercial and internal research purposes.

"This CRISPR license is the impetus for important drug testing and discovery that promises to accelerate research and lead to the development of new therapies," said Udit Batra, CEO, MilliporeSigma. "MilliporeSigma has been at the forefront of innovation in gene editing for 15 years and continues to work with industry and academia to solve complex problems using our patented CRISPR technology, both ethically and responsibly."

Evotec plans to use MilliporeSigma's CRISPR Intellectual Property Portfolio to develop precisely engineered assays to determine the biology and toxicity for potential drug candidates during the drug development cycle.  

"Evotec is excited to continue its strong partnership with MilliporeSigma through licensing their groundbreaking CRISPR technology," said Craig Johnstone, Chief Operating Officer of Evotec. "Our vision and passion for innovation includes using CRISPR technology to test and improve the translation of efficacy of the new drugs we develop to bring relief to patients suffering from underserved conditions worldwide."

This new license reinforces past collaborations between MilliporeSigma and Evotec. In November 2016, the companies entered into a set of agreements whereby Evotec would provide screening services using MilliporeSigma's collection of genetic reagents including CRISPR and shRNA libraries. Combining access to MilliporeSigma's genome editing libraries with Evotec's screening expertise offers a faster path to explore and identify new drug targets.

MilliporeSigma holds 20 CRISPR-related patents worldwide in methods and composition, including the fundamental technology of CRISPR Cas9 for genetic integration in mammalian cells.

As a supplier of genome-editing technology, MilliporeSigma supports research with genome editing under careful consideration of ethical and legal standards. MilliporeSigma's parent company, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany has established an independent, external Bioethics Advisory Panel to provide guidance for research in which its businesses are involved, including research on or using genome editing. The company has also defined a clear operational position considering scientific and societal issues to inform promising therapeutic approaches for use in research and applications.

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About the Life Science Business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
The Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada, has some 21,000 employees and 59 manufacturing sites worldwide, with a portfolio of more than 300,000 products focused on scientific discovery, biomanufacturing and testing services. Udit Batra is the global chief executive officer of MilliporeSigma.

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany completed its $17 billion acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich in November 2015, creating a leader in the $125 billion global life science industry.

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 56,000 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 2018, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany generated sales of €14.8 billion in 66 countries.

The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark "Merck" internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Performance Materials. Since its founding 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company's technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. For more information about Merck, KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, visit www.emdgroup.com.

About Evotec SE
Evotec is a drug discovery alliance and development partnership company focused on rapidly progressing innovative product approaches with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academics, patient advocacy groups and venture capitalists. We operate worldwide and our more than 2,800 employees provide the highest quality stand-alone and integrated drug discovery and development solutions. We cover all activities from target-to-clinic to meet the industry's need for innovation and efficiency in drug discovery and development (EVT Execute). The Company has established a unique position by assembling top-class scientific experts and integrating state-of-the-art technologies as well as substantial experience and expertise in key therapeutic areas including neuronal diseases, diabetes and complications of diabetes, pain and inflammation, oncology, infectious diseases, respiratory diseases and fibrosis. On this basis, Evotec has built a broad and deep pipeline of approx. 100 co-owned product opportunities at clinical, pre-clinical and discovery stages (EVT Innovate). Evotec has established multiple long-term alliances with partners including Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, CHDI, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Sanofi, Takeda, UCB and others. For additional information please go to www.evotec.com and follow us on Twitter @Evotec.

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SOURCE MilliporeSigma