Arbor Biotechnologies Announces Issuance of U.S. Patent for CRISPR-Cas13d
Company Accelerates Growth, Expands Leadership Team
September 25, 2019, Cambridge, MA -Arbor Biotechnologies®, an early-stage life sciences company, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued U.S. Patent No. 10,392,616 entitled, “CRISPR RNA Targeting Enzymes and Systems and Uses Thereof.”
The patent is based on Arbor’s discovery of Cas13d, a new member of the CRISPR-Cas13 enzyme family. The Cas13d discovery was made using Arbor’s experimental platform which employs new techniques and high throughput processes for uncovering novel CRISPR enzymes and systems.
“The issuance of this patent is an important milestone for Arbor as we continue to unlock nature’s biodiversity,” said David Cheng, Chief Executive Officer of Arbor. “Discoveries such as Cas13d mine new scientific territory and tap into the power of nature as we search for solutions to some of the world’s most complex problems.” The patent announcement comes on the heels of significant expansion for the company. Arbor has grown to over 40 people and will soon be relocating to a new headquarters in Cambridge Discovery Park with Class A labs and office space. Additionally, Arbor appointed two new executives to its leadership team, Kelly Morgan as Head of Intellectual Property and Legal, and Megan Woods as Head of People and Community.
Kelly Morgan joins Arbor as Senior Director, Head of Intellectual Property and Legal, to help formulate and manage the intellectual property strategy and provide general legal counsel. Previously, Morgan was intellectual property counsel for Flagship Pioneering, known for its unique model of combining scientific creativity with systematic expertise. While there, she led the patent strategy at select portfolio companies, counseled the companies on internal and external IP to align business and scientific goals, and standardized operating procedures within Flagship to streamline IP processes. Prior to joining Flagship, Morgan trained as an associate and patent agent in the life science departments of multiple Boston law firms, most recently Saul Ewing.
Megan Woods joins Arbor as Head of People and Community, where she will focus on talent management, strategic recruitment and selection, and leadership development as well as culture, engagement and community within Arbor as the company continues to expand. Formerly Head of People and Culture at Magenta Therapeutics, Woods is an experienced executive with an 18-year track record of co-creating empowered and innovative organizations. She has been responsible for building the People and Culture (traditional HR) function during a period of rapid growth at Magenta and previously at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, where she successfully transformed the culture of the large, multi-national organization through her role as coinventor of an internal innovation incubator.