The A&O CRISPR microsite: Everything you need to know about CRISPR in the one place

The characterisation and optimisation of the CRISPR (also known as CRISPR/Cas) system for gene editing and other applications is undoubtedly one of the most powerful and ground breaking advances in the history of biotechnology.

CRISPR technology holds the potential to revolutionise the treatment of disease by enabling DNA to be cut at precise locations, allowing for its accurate and targeted renewal or replacement.  In addition to biomedical applications, there is huge potential for the use of the CRISPR system in agriculture, using genetic modification to introduce positive genetic traits to crops and livestock such as disease resistance, drought tolerance or improved nutritional properties.

But the technology is not without its controversies. At present, CRISPR technology is plagued with a raft of unresolved patent law, licensing, regulatory, policy and moral/ethical issues, which pose a real dilemma for those looking to harness the power of CRISPR and threaten to constrain the vast potential of the technology.

At Allen & Overy, we are committed to helping clients cut through these complexities and to providing insightful analysis of the issues facing current and prospective stakeholders in the CRISPR field.

To help you navigate this new technology we have created a dedicated microsite.  On the site you will find everything you need to know about the technology itself, updates on the patent dispute between the two groups of alleged inventors as well as feature articles delving into specific CRISPR related topics.

Click here to explore the site. 

This post was originally co-authored by Daniel Lim.