Supported by Ascenion, the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMBA) and the Vienna BioCenter Core Facilities (VBCF) have signed a licence agreement with TANGO Therapeutics, a biotechnology company dedicated to discovering novel drug targets and delivering the next generation of precision medicine for the treatment of cancer. The agreement provides the company with non-exclusive rights to use the CRISPR-StAR and CRISPR-Switch technologies in functional genomic screening.
CRISPR-Switch enables unprecedented control of the CRISPR technique in space and time, facilitating the study of complex pathological patterns, including the exact timing and location of gene activation or dysfunction over the course of a disease. Specific on/off switches are achieved by modulating guide RNA expression (rather than Cas9), which increases precision (little or no leakiness) and minimizes undesired off-target effects.
CRISPR-StAR enables the meaningful and reproducible execution of functional genomic CRISPR screens, even in organoids or in-vivo models. The technology exploits modified guide RNAs that upon induction are stochastically converted into active guide RNAs or inactive internal controls, respectively. This, in turn, allows the effectiveness of transduction to be monitored, dramatically boosting the predictive power, sensitivity, and information content of CRISPR screens.
Taken together, both CRISPR technologies provide a compelling opportunity to gain new insights into the dynamic genomic patterns underlying complex diseases such as cancer. TANGO Therapeutics will seek to discover new therapeutic targets, including not only oncogenes, but also genes that enable cancer cells to evade tumour suppression and immune defence.
Ascenion, IMBA’s technology transfer partner, has been working with Ulrich Elling and colleagues for years securing patent protection and supporting licencing negotiations.
The technologies are available for licensing and co-development.
Further information:
- IMBA Website: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/imba/
- Contact: Torsten Stachelhaus