Singapore, Nov. 13 -- Merck, a leading science and technology company, has announced that it has signed a license agreement providing Evotec SE access to Merck's foundational CRISPR intellectual property. Evotec, an international biotechnology company headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, will use Merck's CRISPR genome-editing technology to create edited cell lines for Evotec's commercial and internal research purposes.

Evotec plans to use Merck's CRISPR intellectual property portfolio to develop precisely engineered assays to determine the biology and toxicity for potential drug candidates during the drug development cycle.

This new license reinforces past collaborations between Merck and Evotec. In November 2016, the companies entered in...