Food analysis and biotechnology company licenses gene editing technology

Dublin, Ireland, and Kanagawa, Japan: ERS Genomics Limited (“ERS”), which was formed to provide broad access to the foundational CRISPR/Cas9 intellectual property (IP) co-owned by Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier, today announced it has signed an agreement with FASMAC Co., Ltd (“FASMAC”) of Japan. Under the terms of the non-exclusive agreement FASMAC acquires the right to use CRISPR/Cas9 technology and commercialize tools and reagents associated with it.

Established in 2001, FASMAC provides food analysis and biotechnology products and services including DNA/RNA synthesis products, DNA sequencing services, food testing services and genetic analysis reagents and kits.

ERS Genomics holds an exclusive worldwide license from Dr. Charpentier to the foundational patents covering CRISPR/Cas9. Companies can obtain licenses to this technology for internal research and commercialization of research tools, kits, reagents and genetically modified cell lines and organisms.

“Our portfolio of Japanese companies taking license to the CRISPR/Cas9 technology is growing rapidly, and we are very pleased to be working with FASMAC,” said Eric Rhodes, CEO of ERS Genomics. “We look forward to watching the company as it grows in this space and provides a valuable contribution to the genome editing field.”

Dr Satoshi Futo, CEO of FASMAC commented: “Having access to advanced technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 is very important to us, as we strive to create value for our customers both in Japan and overseas. The license from ERS will allow us to expand our already broad offering.”

Financial details of the agreement are not disclosed.

For additional information please visit www.fasmac.co.jp and www.ersgenomics.com

About ERS Genomics www.ersgenomics.com

ERS Genomics is a biotechnology company based in Dublin, Ireland. The company was formed to provide broad access to the foundational CRISPR/Cas9 intellectual property held by Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier. Non-exclusive licenses are available for research and sale of products and services across multiple fields including: research tools, kits, reagents; discovery of novel targets for therapeutic intervention; cell lines for discovery and screening of novel drug candidates; GMP production of healthcare products; companion animal and livestock health; production of industrial materials such as enzymes, biofuels and chemicals; and synthetic biology. For additional information please visit www.ersgenomics.com.

About FASMAC www.fasmac.co.jp

FASMAC, located in Kanagawa, Japan, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Flour Mills Co., Ltd. FASMAC is the leading GMO testing laboratory in Japan as well as a producer of high purity oligonucleotides. FASMAC offers customers high quality brands i.e. DNA Craft and DNA Loupe for gene synthesis products and DNA sequencing services, respectively. We provide solutions by applying advanced information technology and bioinformatics environment with a proven capacity to handle much larger scale of database, outputting more accurate datasets. Our simple oligo ordering system has been key allowing clients to access and assure their orders delivered on time.

Our services in food analysis offers a wider range of in-house food analyses such as GMO and allergen testing. We do our best to provide our customers with the highest quality of analytical data to keep the competitiveness of their products, worldwide, for which the completed reports will be kept as confidential under a signed contract. We also manufacture and markets food testing kits and reagents e.g. GenCheck DNA extraction and PCR kits.

We create new value to customers by actively engaging in collaboration projects with researchers in Japan and overseas through our Business and Development Unit. These efforts have successfully promoted more advanced technologies and are expected to give bigger contributions in the field of molecular biology.