Illinois Law professor and IP expert Jacob Sherkow spoke to Nature Biotechnology about the recent Tome Biosciences acquisition of Replace Therapeutics to enhance their gene editing capabilities. The article discusses the surge of prime editing deals in biotechnology as companies seek to secure patent rights and avoid intellectual property conflicts. The industry is seeing mergers and partnerships driven by the need for access to patented technologies. Sherkow highlighted the importance of IP rights in these deals, stating, “It is an absolute gobsmacking sum of money. And that is something that is worth thinking about as to whether or not that is a lesson for others in the field.”

Read the full article at nature.com.