As both patent analysts and strategists, we like to look into the “weak signals” hidden behind the main trends of our landscapes, such as emerging design around solutions, original applications and new unexpected players entering the field.
In our latest update of our CRISPR patent landscape, we were surprised to discover a PCT patent application from a couple of senior inventors from Nathan Myhrvold’s team at Intellectual Ventures.
Intellectual Ventures (IV) is the largest patent aggregator in the world and is more specifically well-known in the ICT non-practicing entities (NPE) business. The patent applicant, Elwha LLC, is one of the multiple shell companies controlled by IV, and also holds recent inventions from Bill Gates.
It’s not the first time we see an IV venture popping up in our life sciences patent analytics – this is another indicator of the on-going convergence between ICT and life sciences inventions. But it’s the first time we see IV positioning their investments in the fast growing genome editing field in such explicit claims. The fact that Lowell Wood and Rod Hyde, both senior US serial inventors over the past four decades in fields as diverse as aerospace, optics, computing, laser and nuclear technologies, teamed up with Wayne Kindswogel, a former scientist from pioneering biotech venture ZymoGenetics, also illustrates how trendy CRISPR has become in the past couple of years as a breakthrough technology. As Wired recently titled: easy DNA editing will remake the world – it’s time to buckle up!
Beyond the IV arrival we just pointed out, there are many more findings to explore in the fast growing CRISPR patent landscape: download our free sample here and order the full IPStudies CRISPR landscape here!