Patent Disputes Over CRISPR Technology: A fierce legal battle erupted between the Broad Institute (MIT/Harvard) and UC Berkeley over CRISPR-Cas9 patents. Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier (UCB) filed first, describing CRISPR in vitro. Feng Zhang (Broad) filed later but demonstrated it in eukaryotic cells, securing key patents. Years of litigation followed, with significant financial and reputational stakes. The dispute, largely resolved in favor of the Broad in the US, created uncertainty in the biotech industry, potentially hindering research and therapy development. It exposed how scientific credit and commercial interests can clash, turning a revolutionary discovery into a legal battlefield. The acrimony contrasted with the collaborative spirit of science, raising questions about ownership of foundational biological tools.
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