Forge Genetics have finalised a significant licensing deal with AbbVie, a global biopharmaceutical company.
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The contract, comprising an upfront payment followed by development milestone payments, permits an exclusive licence for the use of Forge Editing in a limited field. Where other genetic tools had proved to be ineffectual in the engineering of the desired target, Forge Editing excelled in proof-of-concept and preceding projects.
“The deal represents a considerable validation of the team’s hard work and a strong endorsement of our technology. We’ve developed a new way of modifying genomes and though we’ve been using it internally for two years already, this deal confirms that other organisations find this to be a valuable genetic tool.” Craig Woods, CEO Forge Genetics.
Forge Editing has been successfully implemented in difficult-to-engineer, non-model organisms, outperforming other genetic tools in programmability, precision and efficiency. The molecular means by which Forge Editing directs mutagenesis is fundamentally less burdensome to host cells than Cas9 based systems, enabling higher efficiencies of transfer and maintenance, facilitating strain creation. The Forge technology bears the potential for wide scope of application across diverse biological systems, with Forge having recently filed a patent for the use of Forge Editing in mammalian cells.
Forge are looking for cases of difficult-to-engineer organisms and diverse cell types from across the domains of life for proof-of-concept work and subsequent projects to further exhibit the potential of Forge Editing.
Forge Genetics provides contract research services for the production of genetically modified organisms, non-GM strain development with advanced screening methodologies and specialised fermentation and analytics.
Forge offers proof-of-concept projects with an option to licence exclusivity of Forge Editing within a limited field relevant to the client.