MilliporeSigma Licenses Foundational CRISPR Integration Technology to Promega

-- Gives scientists a new view into natural cell activity, accelerating drug development

BURLINGTON, Mass., Dec. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MilliporeSigma, a leader in genome editing, today announced that it has signed a license agreement providing Promega Corp., a global life science manufacturer based in Madison, Wisconsin, access to MilliporeSigma's foundational CRISPR intellectual property. Promega will use MilliporeSigma's CRISPR genome-editing technology to create research products and services, including those for drug development.

"Under this licensing agreement, Promega plans to use our intellectual property to develop CRISPR-edited cell lines, which can play a major role in determining drug efficacy, toxicity and overall development," said Udit Batra, CEO, MilliporeSigma.

The agreement will allow researchers to better read the physiological or natural levels of protein expression, which provides a more accurate understanding of protein behavior.

"This license further expands the potential of CRISPR, and, more importantly, gives scientists a new view into natural cell activity," said Bill Linton, president and CEO, Promega. "This is quite a meaningful contribution to many areas of applied research in such fields as cancer and neuroscience."

Promega is building a portfolio of CRISPR knock-in cell lines in addition to custom requests to meet the demands of customers studying protein dynamics.

MilliporeSigma intends to continue growing its CRISPR intellectual property portfolio with technologies such as paired Cas9 nickases, which reduce off-target effects, and proxy-CRISPR, which offers researchers more experimental options to accelerate drug development and access to new therapies.

MilliporeSigma holds 22 CRISPR-related patents worldwide covering both methods and compositions, including the fundamental use 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 Promega
Promega Corporation is a leader in providing innovative solutions and technical support to the life sciences industry. The company's 4,000 products enable scientists worldwide to advance their knowledge in genomics, proteomics, cellular analysis, drug discovery and human identification. Founding in 1978, the company is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, with branches in 16 countries and more than 50 global distributors. For more information about Promega, visit www.promega.com

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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.

SOURCE MilliporeSigma