BRAIN Biotech Secures European Patent for Novel CRISPR-BMC Genome Editing Technology
Key Insights
BRAIN Biotech (search) has been granted a European patent for its CRISPR-BMC (search) nuclease technology, which exhibits high activity in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms including bacteria, yeasts, fungi, plants and mammalian cells.
The BMC® technology enables precise genome editing by generating efficient double-strand breaks at defined locations, allowing targeted modifications to optimize microbial production strains for biomolecule manufacturing.
The patent opens significant commercial potential through licensing opportunities, with BRAIN Biotech (search) already granting licenses to companies across different fields and planning to expand licensing activities.
BRAIN Biotech (search), a leading provider of specialist enzymes and innovative biological solutions, announced that the European Patent Office (search) has granted a patent for its CRISPR-BMC (search) nuclease technology (Patent number EP4301852 B1). The newly patented genome-editing system exhibits high activity across various prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, marking a significant milestone for the company's proprietary biotechnology portfolio.
Novel CRISPR System Enables Broad Organism Targeting
The BMC® (BRAIN Metagenome Cas) technology represents a novel family of CRISPR nucleases developed by BRAIN Biotech (search) that generates efficient double-strand breaks in genomic DNA at precisely defined locations. These targeted breaks enable subsequent introduction of specific genetic modifications to alter organism properties.
The technology demonstrates versatility across a wide range of biological systems, including bacteria, yeasts, fungi, plants, and mammalian cells. This broad applicability positions the BMC® nuclease family as a comprehensive genome-editing platform alongside the company's existing BEC® nucleases.
Industrial Applications in Strain Optimization
BRAIN Biotech (search) specifically employs the CRISPR-BMC (search) technology to optimize microbial production strains, including E. coli (search), Bacillus (search), Pichia (search), and Aspergillus (search), for manufacturing biomolecules such as enzymes, proteins, and small molecules. The precision and efficiency of the system enables accelerated development of production organisms for both internal projects and customer applications.
"CRISPR-BMC (search) allows us to further accelerate the development of our own production organisms and strain development for our customers thanks to the speed and precision it offers," stated Alexander Pelzer, Head of R&D at BRAIN Biotech (search) Zwingenberg. "To ensure the reliable establishment of the technology in various organisms, we draw on our decades of experience in molecular biology and microbiology."
Commercial Licensing Strategy
The patent protection establishes significant commercial potential for the CRISPR-BMC (search) technology through licensing arrangements. BRAIN Biotech (search) has already granted licenses for the technology to companies across different industrial sectors and plans to expand these licensing activities further.
CEO Adriaan Moelker emphasized the strategic importance of the patent: "I am very pleased that we have now secured robust patent protection for the CRISPR-BMC (search) nucleases developed at BRAIN Biotech (search). Our technology, which is based on these nucleases, helps make manufacturing processes that utilize microorganisms more cost-effective. We offer a corresponding business model for the use of our technology, which can be applied across a wide range of application areas."
Patent Coverage and Future Development
The patent for the first nuclease in the BMC® family became effective March 18, 2026, covering all countries under the European Unitary Patent system, as well as Great Britain and Switzerland. Patent applications remain pending in other key markets including the United States and Japan.
BRAIN Biotech (search) plans to pursue patent protection for additional nucleases within the BMC® family through selected inventions, further expanding the intellectual property portfolio around this genome-editing platform.
The CRISPR-BMC (search) technology emerged from the company's BRAINBioIncubator (search) division, which focuses on research-intensive development projects. This latest innovation complements BRAIN Biotech (search)'s existing portfolio of proprietary genome-editing tools and reinforces the company's position in the biotechnology sector.
BRAIN Biotech (search) generated revenue of €49.6 million in the 2024/25 fiscal year with approximately 280 employees across production facilities in the UK, continental Europe, and the United States.