Intellectual Property

One of Cellectis’ foremost assets is its intellectual property portfolio. The Institut Pasteur patent families covering the use of Homologous recombination and meganuclease-type endonucleases for inducing DNA recombination formed the platform upon which Cellectis was initially founded. We have since developed a strong proprietary portfolio, with patents across three broad categories – general principles, Meganucleases and their specific applications, and manufacturing processes of modified meganucleases. Our strategy involves expanding the intellectual property portfolio to further protect our products, their applications, and the corresponding body of technological knowledge.

At the end of 2010, Cellectis owned the rights to 83 patents worldwide, including 35 in the United States and Canada. This means that 25 new patents were obtained over the course of the year. Cellectis currently has more than 260 patent applications pending. In 2010, Cellectis bought all the assets of CytoPulse Inc., a company that specializes in electroporation systems, and through this operation obtained 16 new patents to add to its intellectual property portfolio.

The company strives to optimize and uphold the intellectual property it licensed from the Institut Pasteur. Cellectis also endeavors to promote its intellectual property by defending its own rights, while respecting the rights of others.