Paris, January 13, 2010 – Cellectis S.A. (Alternext: ALCLS), the French genome engineering specialist, who recently celebrated its 10 year anniversary, today announced that its key business objectives for 2009 were achieved.
During 2009, Cellectis completed three major deals in agrobiotechnology, the most significant being the non-exclusive research and commercial license agreement with Monsanto, which included an upfront payment and equity investment as well as milestones and royalties longer term.
Multiple licensing agreements have been initiated, with over 20 discussions ongoing in Japan, Europe and US at year-end. Cellectis has also reinforced its intellectual estate with the filing of fifteen new patent applications, the grant of four patents and the acquisition of the Vectocell? technology, which brought nine new patent families in its IP portfolio.
Cellectis significantly increased its production capacity in 2009, producing 96 highly specific meganucleases for given genomic targets – compared to a dozen in 2008. By constantly improving its engineering processes, Cellectis significantly raised both the quality and activity standards of its engineered products.
In the field of therapeutic applications, strong animal safety data supporting proof of concept for therapeutic applications have now been obtained. Results reported by the Cellectis research team and their collaborators, showing the potential of engineered meganucleases in drug discovery and gene therapy, were published in major peer-reviewed scientific magazines.
More information : http://www.cellectis.com/
