TU Dresden announces collaboration with Janssen to advance next-generation nuclease-free gene editing platform

Technical University (TU) Dresden (Germany) announced today that they have entered a research collaboration and license agreement with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, under which they will develop novel therapies by using TU Dresden’s next-generation gene editing technology platform based on site-specific DNA recombinases. The collaboration was facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation.

Several gene editing tools have emerged recently, enabling researchers to modify mammalian genomes in a targeted manner. Scientists led by Professor Frank Buchholz at Technical University Dresden (TU Dresden) have developed a new, next-generation gene editing platform based on engineered, site-specific DNA recombinases that allow for nuclease-free editing of genomicregions with single-base precision. The technology is uniquely versatile as it can perform several genome modifications such as excision of both short and long DNA fragments, gene inversion, and efficient gene insertion. Notably, gene insertion can be performed with comparable efficiency in both dividing and non-dividing cells because recombinases, in contrast to nuclease-based gene editing technologies, edit genomes independent of the host cells’ DNA repair and recombination machinery.

"Collaborating with Janssen is an important step forward in driving the development of our technology and for advancing therapeutic programs for the treatment of a variety of currently incurable diseases towards clinical trials”, said Professor Frank Buchholz, Head of Medical Systems Biology at the Medical Faculty of TU Dresden. “Our gene editing platform offers multiple therapeutic opportunities and we are very happy that we have been able to collaborate with a global company such as Janssen." 

Information about TU Dresden
The Technical University of Dresden is one of the top universities in Germany and Europe: strong in research, first-class in the diversity and quality of study programs, closely networked with culture, economy and society. As a modern university, with its five sectors in 18 faculties, a broad spectrum of scientific research is offered that only a few universities in Germany are able to provide. The TU Dresden is the biggest university in Saxony with its large campus family of around 33,500 students and around 11,300 employees - of whom 566 are professors. In 2012, the TU Dresden participated in the excellence initiative of the federal and state governments and won the title of “Excellence University” with its future concept "The Synergetic University", the Clusters of Excellence "cfaed - Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden" and "Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD)” as well as its established Dresden International Graduate School for Biomedical and Bioengineering (DIGS-BB). From January 2019 on, three new clusters of excellence will start their work: "PoL: Physics of Life", "ct.qmat: Complexity and Topology in Quantum Materials" and "CeTI: Center for Tactile Internet" The TU Dresden is one of the eleven elected universities of excellence in Germany.

Press contact Technische Universität Dresden
Kim-Astrid Magister
Pressestelle
Tel.: +49 351 463 32398
Email: pressestelle@tu-dresden.de

Press contact Medical Faculty, TU Dresden
Stephan Wiegand
Stabsstelle Öffentlichkeitsarbeit & Marketing
Tel: +49 351 458 19389
Email: stephan.wiegand@uniklinikum-dresden.de

Contact person:
Prof. Dr. Frank Buchholz
Medizinische Fakultät, Technische Universität Dresden
Tel.: +49 351 463-40277 / +49 351 463-40288
Email: frank.buchholz@tu-dresden.de