Biochemistry

Jennifer A. Doudna: inventions and patents

Jennifer A. Doudna, born in Washington, D.C., shared the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Emmanuelle Charpentier for the development of a method for genome editing. She was at the University of California, Berkeley, at the time of the award. The University of California, with the University of Vienna and Charpentier, has been in a US patent priority dispute with the Broad Institute over CRISPR-Cas9 systems in eukaryotic cells, which remained open in 2026.^1,5,6

Patents

Inventions

• CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing method, 2012. A method for genome editing recognised by the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The earliest priority date of the related US patent is 25 May 2012.^1,2

Recognition

• 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (one half), for the development of a method for genome editing¹

Disputes

• 2022 to 2026 Patent Interference No. 106,115 at the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board, between the Regents of the University of California, the University of Vienna and Emmanuelle Charpentier (referred to as CVC) and the Broad Institute, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard College (referred to as Broad), over priority for CRISPR-Cas9 inventions. On 28 February 2022 the Board determined that Broad was entitled to priority. On 12 May 2025 the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (No. 22-1653) affirmed the Board's written description decision, vacated the priority decision and remanded it. The court held that the Board had legally erred by conflating the standards for conception and reduction to practice. On remand, on 26 March 2026, the Board again entered judgment on priority against CVC. The law firm Lerner David reported in August 2026 that CVC filed a notice of appeal to the Federal Circuit in May 2026.^4,3,5,7,6

Sources

1. Nobel Prize Outreach, Jennifer A. Doudna, Facts, 2020 (accessed 2026-10-27)
2. Google Patents, US10266850B2 Methods and compositions for RNA-directed target DNA modification (accessed 2026-10-27)
3. Morrison Foerster, Federal Circuit Vacates and Remands in Long-Pending Dispute over CRISPR IP (13 May 2025)
4. US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Regents of the University of California v. Broad Institute, Inc., No. 22-1653, opinion (12 May 2025)
5. USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board (copy hosted by Patent Docs), Patent Interference No. 106,115, Judgment, Paper 2916 (26 March 2026)
6. Lerner David, PTAB Reaffirms Broad's Priority in CRISPR-Cas9 Interference (31 August 2026)
7. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati (via JD Supra), PTAB Again Rules in Favor of Broad in CRISPR-Cas9 Patent Dispute (27 April 2026)