LoI signed to establish Centre of Excellence for CRISPR Innovation and Translation (CoE-CIT)

A new Letter of Intent (LoI) has been signed to establish a new Centre of Excellence for CRISPR Innovation and Translation (CoE-CIT) as a dedicated hub to harness cutting-edge CRISPR technologies to facilitate translation of scientific discoveries in a laboratory into real-world clinical applications.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru an autonomous institute of Department of Science and Technology (DST) and CRISPRBITS Private Limited (CrisprBits) based in Delhi, focused on Biotechnology using CRISPR gene-editing technology for developing affordable diagnostics, has announced the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) to jointly establish the CoE-CIT, in a landmark public–private partnership between academia and industry which is among the first of its kind in India.

The CoE-CIT is envisioned to bridge the bench to bed gap leading and have therapeutic impact by combining JNCASR’s strengths in fundamental biomedical sciences with CrisprBits’ expertise in applied gene-editing and translational platforms. Demonstrating how Indian scientific innovation can be effectively translated into societal and clinical benefit, the CoE will serve as a replicable national model for academic–industry partnerships to strengthen India’s biotechnology and innovation ecosystem.

“It is an exciting landmark event for JNCASR to plan this CoE on its campus partnering with CRISPRBITS, known for building intelligent molecular platforms for development of scalable, affordable innovative solutions in health sciences. Synergizing the mutual strengths in genetics, molecular and chemical biology, and computational biology, this unique partnership will open a new route to impact society and national missions,” says Umesh Waghmare, President of JNCASR.

Fig 1: Prof. Umesh V Waghmare, President, JNCASR and Dr. Vijay Chandru, Co-Founder & CEO, CRISPRBITS Pvt. Ltd. soon after the signing and exchange of the Expression of Interest document

Fig 2: Group photo of the members of the JNCASR and CRISPRBITS Pvt. Ltd. team, after signing the Partnership  document.