CRISPR/Cas9 system and gene editing tools – On patent rights, recent disputes and its potential commercial applicability in biotechnology and medicine

The CRISPR/Cas9 discovery has emerged as a powerful technology tool to edit genomes, which allows researchers, innovators and life science entrepreneurs to alter DNA sequences and modify gene function in a range of species. The simplicity, high efficiency and seemingly broad use of the CRISPR/Cas9 system has led to hopes that this disruptive technology may have the potential to transform important sectors of biotechnology and medicine. The technology will enable users to make changes in the sequence or expression of virtually any gene, cell type or organism. The rapid progress in the development of CRISPR/Cas9-based technologies over the past years has been extraordinary. In spite of that, many outstanding questions remain to be addressed, and potentially interesting applications as well as potential risks yet need to be explored. Without doubt, the rapid advances and extensive commercial applicability of the CRISPR technologies is likely to a have a societal impact within the decades to come.