Jumpcode Genomics and Takara Bio USA announce global patent partnership

San Diego, California—June 13, 2024—Jumpcode Genomics, a genome technology platform company focused on improving the understanding of human biology, and Takara Bio USA, Inc. (“Takara Bio USA”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Takara Bio Inc., today announced the companies have settled their patent dispute and have partnered to bring together their combined foundational IP in the field of targeted depletion of undesired transcripts such as ribosomal RNAs from NGS libraries using CRISPR-based technology.

Under the terms of the agreement Jumpcode and Takara Bio USA have each granted the other party a license to use their IP in exchange for an agreed royalty payment. The financial terms were not disclosed. The companies’ combined IP comprises multiple patents and patent applications worldwide, including U.S. Patent 11,708,606, held by Jumpcode, and U.S. Patent 10,150,985, held by Takara Bio USA.

The companies’ cutting-edge technologies, sold under the DepleteX® and CRISPRclean brands by Jumpcode and as ZapR technology by Takara Bio USA, remove unwanted sequences from biological samples to enable the discovery and detection of novel molecules. This enables researchers to significantly improve the sensitivity of their RNA-seq libraries and provides significant cost savings by reducing the need to sequence unwanted abundant sequences.

The technology can be used in multiple research and translational applications and has the potential to be utilized to rapidly detect unknown, previously undetectable pathogens, which is critically important, particularly in the event of a future pandemic.

Commenting on the partnership Mike Salter, President and CEO of Jumpcode, said: “We are delighted to partner with Takara. Our combined technology is instrumental to scientists around the world enabling them to deliver groundbreaking research, and we are excited by its potential to transform the future of molecular biology. We look forward to working with Takara Bio USA as we focus on the global commercialisation of our products.”

Carol Lou, President & CEO of Takara Bio USA, said: “We are very pleased to be working with Jumpcode to bring together the innovative technology platforms and foundational IP of both companies. This agreement brings clarity for both Takara Bio USA’s and Jumpcode’s customers and partners and paves the way for both companies to combine their strengths to better enable genomics research.”