New Patent Issued in Japan (Patent No. 7752369) Expanding CRISPR-Cas3 Patent Portfolio

C4U Corporation (“C4U”) is pleased to announce that the patent application for the invention “GUIDE RNA AND USE THEREOF”, concerning a novel form of guide RNA used in CRISPR-Cas system and its application was issued in Japan on October 2, 2025 as Patent No. 7752369.  

CRISPR-Cas system comprises Class I, which cleaves target sequences by a conformation of multiple proteins, and Class II, which cleaves target sequences via a single protein. CRISPR-Cas3, which C4U pursues to commercialize, belongs to Class I and classified as Type I CRISPR.
This invention finds the structure of the guide RNA required for forming the cascade that enables the Type I CRISPR-Cas system to function. Furthermore, leveraging these discoveries enables the development of novel Type I CRISPR-Cas3 systems that can incorporate reverse transcriptase and achieve Prime Editing–like genome modifications.

C4U will continue to strengthen its intellectual property portfolio with regard to CRISPR-Cas3 technology worldwide and accelerate its application in a wide range of fields, including pharmaceutical field.

About C4U Corporation
C4U is a privately held biotech company based in Osaka, Japan, and is focused on the development of safe and efficient gene therapies utilizing its proprietary next generation CRISPR-Cas3 gene editing platform. In comparison to the CRISPR-Cas9 platform, CRISPR-Cas3 presents the distinct benefits of: 1) no off-target by the higher selectivity of deletion site (improved safety); 2) efficient knockouts by the larger deletion of gene sequences; and 3) an entirely independent patent portfolio. C4U has been granted a worldwide exclusive license to CRISPR-Cas3 by the University of Osaka for use in eukaryotic cells thus simplifying sublicensing transactions which is in sharp contrast to the complex and heavily litigated CRISPR-Cas9 patent landscape.　https://www.crispr4u.jp/en/