The Max Delbrück Center, Berlin, and the biotech company AlgenScribe from France have agreed to cooperate to further develop their gene-editing tools. The aim is to utilize synergies, accelerate research, and ultimately develop cell therapies for genetically determined diseases.
A special kind of German-French friendship is being fostered here: The Max Delbrück Center and the French biotech company AlgenScribe want to jointly further develop and improve their genome editing tools. To this end, Frédéric Zampatti, CEO of AlgenScribe, and Dr. Ralf Kühn from the Max Delbrück Center signed a cooperation agreement in July, 16, 2024. They aim to utilize synergies between their respective technologies, expand, and accelerate research together.
Dr. Ralf Kühn, head of the “Genome Engineering & Disease Models” research group at the Max Delbrück Center, has been researching gene editing techniques for more than ten years. His team uses and improves the CRISPR-Cas9 gene scissors. The HIROS/replace technology developed in his laboratory can also efficiently exchange genetic fragments in differentiated and non-dividing mammalian cells in a very targeted and sequence-accurate manner. Kühn’s aim is to gain a better understanding of genetic diseases and to develop novel cell therapies with the help of the sharpened gene scissors.