WUR gives away CRISPR intellectual property licenses for free in fight against hunger.
ENPNewswire-September 7, 2021--WUR gives away CRISPR intellectual property licenses for free in fight against hunger
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Release date- 06092021 - The ultimate aim of plant breeding has always been to make plants resistant to drought and diseases. That could help eliminate hunger around the world.
This is no longer a distant thought, thanks to a technology called CRISPR-Cas. Today Wageningen University & Research (WUR) announces it will provide potential partners with free licenses to work on its patented CRISPR technology. The license must be applied to gene-editing of plants for non-profit applications. 'We hope this contributes to healthier, more sustainable, equitable, affordable and resilient food production for all', says WUR President prof. dr. ir. Louise O. Fresco.
CRISPR-Cas is a technology that enables genetic material to be changed relatively simply, very accurately and efficiently. Worldwide there are over 3.000 CRISPR-Cas related patents, of which WUR also holds several. For five of them (which are jointly owned with Dutch Research Council NWO), WUR decided to provide free licenses.
Why this is unique
Prof. Fresco: 'This is really quite unique for CRISPR, in the academic world and beyond. As far as we know, we're among the first to do so regarding CRISPR-technology. We do it, because we simply and firmly believe this is the right thing to do.
Two billion people face inadequate nutrition around the world in 2020. Nearly all of them are also vulnerable to the effects of climate change. So we need a transformation to healthier, more sustainable, equitable, affordable and resilient food systems. This will also take center stage during the UN Food Systems Summit on September 23rd. CRISPR and other biosciences could accelerate this transformation.
It therefore fits perfectly with the WUR mission: to explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life. CRISPR, a bacterial defense system to viruses is a great example. A WUR team, led by prof. Van der Oost has been studying it since 2006.'
Potential of CRISPR-Cas in the fight against hunger
Microbiologist prof. dr. John van der Oost is a world leading authority on CRISPR-Cas. He is often described as one of the founding fathers of the technology and he took the initiative to provide free CRISPR licenses. He says: 'The potential of CRISPR-Cas cannot be overstated. It is a very versatile technology that could provide new and...
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