Novartis in licensing deal with Cellectis; pays milestone to GenVec

Paris, France-based Cellectis genome engineering specialist (Alternext: ALCLS) has signed a license agreement with Swiss drug major Novartis (NOVN: VX) for the patents of the family WO 90/11354 covering certain uses of homologous recombination. This technology, which belongs to the Pasteur Institute and for which Cellectis owns exclusive rights, makes it possible to introduce new characteristics into genomes.

The financial terms of the accord have not been disclosed, however, under the terms of this deal, Cellectis grants Novartis and its affiliates a non-exclusive license for certain uses of these patents in the field of research and development of therapeutic products.

“This agreement represents further recognition of the quality and relevance of the intellectual property controlled by Cellectis in the Homologous Recombination,” confirmed Andre Choulika, the Cellectis group’s chairman and chief executive, adding: “I am delighted with the start of this relationship with Novartis, which is a major player in the pharmaceutical industry and life sciences sector.”