STAT+: CRISPR patent fight redux? A new battle is brewing among biotechs over next-gen gene-editing tools

The next CRISPR gene-editing patent war might look quite different; it's shaping up to be a free-for-all among a multitude of companies and labs.

Genome editing summits are generally friendly, nerdy affairs, but for a moment at a Lisbon hotel last June, the conversation at the FASEB genome engineering conference grew tense.

Tessera Therapeutics chief scientist Michael Holmes had just finished presenting a much-anticipated peek at a technology the company had previously said could “revolutionize genetic medicine” and “cure nearly any genetic disease.” It was a rare moment: Tessera had raised around $600 million and passed a $1 billion valuation, but had never published in academic medical journals.

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