Under this agreement, Sangamo will provide a non-exclusive, worldwide research license for the use of its proprietary zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) technology in the development of transgenic animals. In this phase Roche will pay research fees, including research maintenance fees and research event payments.
If Roche elects to exercise its option for an exclusive commercial license it will owe Sangamo an option license fee, additional payments upon the achievement of certain clinical development events and royalties on sales of therapeutic and diagnostic products developed by Roche using the ZFN-modified animals.
Roche has also an option to obtain an exclusive, worldwide license for the commercial use of such ZFN-generated transgenic animals in the production of therapeutic and diagnostic products.
The research phase of the agreement will be conducted in collaboration with both Sangamo and Sigma-Aldrich, Sangamo’s exclusive licensee of ZFN technology for high-value research reagents.
David Smoller, president of research biotech business unit at Sigma-Aldrich, said: “ZFN technology promises to enable the generation of a variety of transgenic models of human disease, expediting drug development and production.”