25 April 2018 - - The Chinese Patent Office has issued a notice granting US-based genome editing specialist MilliporeSigma's patent application for its CRISPR technology used in a genomic-integration method for eukaryotic cells,.
This forthcoming patent in China covers chromosomal integration, or cutting of the chromosomal sequence of eukaryotic cells (such as mammalian and plant cells) and insertion of an external or donor DNA sequence into those cells using CRISPR.
CRISPR genome-editing technology, which allows the precise modification of chromosomes in living cells, is advancing treatment options for a variety of medical conditions. CRISPR applications are far-ranging -- from identifying genes associated with cancer and rare diseases to reversing mutations that cause blindness.
The life science business of Darmstadt, Germany-based Merck KGaA, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the US and Canada, has 20,000 employees and 60 manufacturing sites worldwide, with a portfolio of more than 300,000 products enabling scientific discovery.
Merck KGaA is a science and technology company in the healthcare, life science, and performance materials industries.
Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies, from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions.
In the US and Canada, the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma, and EMD Performance Materials.