After the United States, the European Patent Office delivers the first European patent for the SMASh technology — and genOway has acquired an exclusive license

SMASh is a state-of-the-art technology for the discovery and development of new drugs

Lyon, France, January 26, 2021 – genOway, an innovative French company and leader in conceiving and developing genetically engineered preclinical research models, is pleased to announce the issuance of a new patent in Europe (EP3,313,863) that covers the small-molecule assisted shutoff (SMASh) technology, following the patent granted in the U.S. (US10,550,379) in February 2020.

SMASh is a powerful tool for reversible spatiotemporal control of induced protein degradation with many applications in preclinical and clinical research, including screening, validation and development of new molecules of therapeutic interest.

“genOway possesses an exclusive and sublicensable license under the SMASh patents to use the technology and sell any cell lines or animal models containing it for research purposes,” says Sandrine Carteau, Intellectual Property Manager at genOway. “The grant of this patent in the United States and in Europe enables genOway to offer secured use of SMASh to its customers and sublicensees in the main world markets.”

“Our mission is to serve the scientific community, providing its academic, pharmaceutical, and biotechnological customers with state-of-the-art, reliable research models, as well as the guaranteed freedom to operate (FTO) on patent-protected model generation technologies,” says Alexandre Fraichard, founder and general manager at genOway. “With the granting of the patent for SMASh, both in Europe and the United States, we will help our clients to easily access models based on this technology, while securing their R&D investments.”

About genOway

Founded in 1999, genOway is a global biotechnology company dedicated to the development and commercialization of innovative genetically modified mouse, rat and cell line models for fundamental, preclinical and clinical research. Based on its core business and leading expertise in custom-designed models, the company invests in cancer research, with a growing catalog of currently over 30 translational models for immuno-oncology and immunotherapy. genOway holds all relevant licenses on patented technologies used for its model creation, including the exclusive license under Merck’s foundational CRISPR/Cas9 patents portfolio, which enables the company to guarantee its clients FTO, freedom to operate. Headquartered in Lyon, France, genOway is an international team that employs passionate and dedicated people from 18 nationalities. Its clients include 380 academic institutions and 170 life sciences companies, with 17 of the top 20 pharma. genOway strives to become the preferred partner of all scientists seeking innovative and reliable research tools.

Contacts

Sandrine Carteau – genOway – carteau@genoway.com