…[U]ntil last week Monsanto was operating with a very noticeable omission in its research and development arsenal. It’s a wonder it took so long to plug… Perhaps the company was waiting for more clarity in the very public legal dispute over what MIT Technology Review called “[T]he Biggest Biotech Discovery of the Century.”
Whatever the reason… Monsanto finally… licensed the gene editing tool known as CRISPR from the Broad Institute… The global license will give… the company the ability to introduce new genetic traits — or remove unfavorable ones — from plants in record time and with unparalleled accuracy…
…[E]ven though CRISPR results in what many… would consider… a genetically modified organism (GMO), current laws don’t always consider the gene-editing… method worthy of regulation. That means Monsanto could save… at least $35 million per marketed trait in regulatory testing and registration expenses. But this development is full of twists and turns.
Does this affect the long-term value of Monsanto’s pipeline, and therefore the decision to approve the merger with Bayer? Will the Broad Institute’s ongoing legal spat with the University of California Berkeley affect the license? Could public opinion result in changes to how CRISPR is regulated and partially offset its cost advantages?
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: Monsanto Finally Licenses the Most Important Biotech Discovery of the 21st Century
