The USPTO's PTAB will determine whether UC-Berkeley or Broad Institute holders of CRISPR patents first invented its use in eukaryotic cells. The outcome could either benefit the Berkeley group, which could simplify licensing deals, or maintain the status quo.

Sanofi returns two partnered assets to Voyager, further unraveling 2015 deal. Celgene drops Mereo cancer candidate ahead of merger with Bristol, while Ultragenyx and Arcturus expand their joint rare disease efforts.

Despite being ineligible to license its CRISPR technology for human gene and cell therapy applications, ERS is doing considerable business with biopharmas for internal R&D projects.

CRISPR technology was invented just five years ago but is so accurate, versatile, easy to use, and inexpensive that it has spread quickly through biology laboratories, giving researchers new tools to interrogate biology and make precise alterations to an organism’s genetic material, offering its potential use in a wide array of therapies.