Broad Institute backs central Crispr patent licensing platform

The Broad Institute in Cambridge, US, and its partners Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and The Rockefeller University have submitted 22 patents in response to a call to create a joint licensing pool for Crispr genome editing technology. Such a platform would allow groups attempting to commercialise Crispr-based products to avoid complicated rights negotiations with multiple patent-holders. The tangled legal landscape surrounding Crispr could hinder the development of new therapies that exploit the tool.