Feng Zhang Patents & Innovation Profile — PatSnap Eureka
Feng Zhang: Patent Portfolio & Innovation Analysis
Feng Zhang is a molecular biologist affiliated with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard who holds approximately 8,999 patents spanning CRISPR-Cas genome editing, transcriptional regulation, optogenetics, and in vivo delivery systems. His portfolio — primarily assigned to the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology — represents one of the most commercially significant and litigated IP landscapes in modern biotechnology, underpinning drug discovery, genetic medicine, and agricultural biotechnology worldwide.
Top Cited Publications by Year
Citation peaks in 2013–2015 align with the foundational CRISPR-Cas9 publication burst from the Broad Institute.
Feng Zhang's Publication & Citation Patterns
Citation accumulation accelerated sharply from 2013 to 2015 — precisely the period in which CRISPR-Cas9 was being established as a universal genome editing platform.
Top Paper Citations by Publication Year
Peak citation year is 2015 (1,515 citations) for the SaCas9 in vivo genome editing paper, followed by 2013 (1,446 combined) for foundational CRISPR-Cas and dCas9 transcriptional control papers.
Research Theme Distribution
CRISPR-Cas system development and optimisation dominates Feng Zhang's research output, with significant contributions to transcriptional control and in vivo therapeutic applications.
Feng Zhang's Core Areas of Innovation
Zhang's portfolio spans five interconnected technology domains — from foundational CRISPR tool development through to optogenetics, transcriptional regulation, and in vivo therapeutic delivery.
CRISPR-Cas Genome Editing
Core domainPatents covering the adaptation of CRISPR-Cas9 and Cas12a/Cpf1 as practical genome editing platforms for mammalian and eukaryotic cells. Includes Cas9 variant engineering, guide RNA design, and the smaller SaCas9 compatible with AAV delivery vectors.
- In vivo genome editing using Staphylococcus aureus Cas9
- CRISPR-Cas9 use in eukaryotic cells (Broad Institute core claims)
- Multiplex genome editing via Cpf1/Cas12a
Transcriptional Regulation & Epigenetics
Major focusPatents and publications covering programmable control of gene expression without cutting DNA, using catalytically inactive dCas9 fused to transcriptional activators or repressors. Foundational to the CRISPRa and CRISPRi fields used in drug target validation.
- Programmable repression and activation using engineered CRISPR-Cas
- Optical control of mammalian transcription and epigenetic states
- Genome-scale CRISPR transcriptional activation screening
In Vivo Genome Editing & Therapeutics
Therapeutic focusPatents covering somatic in vivo editing strategies for cancer modelling, infectious disease research, and therapeutic deployment. Includes AAV delivery of CRISPR components and direct mutation of disease-relevant genes in living organisms.
- CRISPR-mediated direct mutation of cancer genes in the mouse liver
- CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing in Plasmodium falciparum
- Functional non-viral vectors for gene delivery
Optogenetics
Foundational workEarly-career contributions to optogenetics — the use of light-sensitive proteins to control cellular activity. Zhang's optogenetics work preceded his CRISPR contributions and established his approach of adapting microbial molecular systems for mammalian neuroscience applications.
- Optical control of mammalian endogenous transcription and epigenetic states
- Light-activated ion channels for neural circuit interrogation
- Channelrhodopsin variants for precise neural control
TAL Effector Engineering
Pre-CRISPR toolsPre-CRISPR contributions to precision genome editing through TAL effector (TALEN) engineering, including novel synthesis methods for assembling repeat-module DNA-binding proteins. This body of work demonstrates Zhang's long-standing focus on programmable molecular tools before CRISPR emerged.
- Iterative capped assembly: synthesis of TAL effectors from individual monomers
- Genome editing with TALEN nucleases in human cells
- Improved vectors and genome-wide libraries for CRISPR screening
Gene Screening Platforms
Functional genomicsPatents covering genome-scale CRISPR knockout and transcriptional activation screening platforms, enabling high-throughput identification of gene function and drug targets. These tools are widely used in pharmaceutical R&D and academic functional genomics laboratories.
- Genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screening
- Improved vectors and genome-wide libraries for CRISPR screening
- Genome-scale transcriptional activation using CRISPR-Cas9
Research Literature by Feng Zhang
5,417 papers indexed · Citation accumulation spanning CRISPR-Cas system development, transcriptional regulation, and in vivo therapeutic applications from 2012 to 2019.
CRISPR-Cas System Development
Zhang's most influential papers concern the engineering of Cas9 variants — including SaCas9 compatible with AAV delivery — and characterisation of alternative CRISPR effectors such as Cpf1/Cas12a. The 2015 SaCas9 paper alone accumulated over 1,515 citations, reflecting the centrality of the AAV-compatibility challenge in the field.
Transcriptional Control & Optogenetics
A distinct cluster explores programmable control of gene expression without cutting DNA. The 2013 papers on optical control of mammalian transcription (385 citations) and programmable CRISPR-Cas repression/activation (1,061 citations) established dCas9-based regulation as a major research direction, directly seeding the CRISPRa and CRISPRi fields.
In Vivo Editing & Therapeutic Applications
Zhang's group consistently pushed CRISPR toward therapeutic deployment. The 2014 cancer gene mutation paper (642 citations) demonstrated somatic in vivo editing as a cancer modelling strategy. The Plasmodium falciparum work (153 citations) extended CRISPR to infectious disease. Pre-CRISPR TAL effector work (99 citations) shows substantial earlier contributions to precision editing.
Why Feng Zhang's Portfolio Matters
Strategic implications for patent attorneys, in-house IP teams, and R&D strategists working in genome editing, gene therapy, and adjacent biotechnology domains.
FTO Considerations
The CRISPR-Cas9 IP landscape originating from Zhang's work at the Broad Institute is among the most densely covered in biotechnology. Key domains — including Cas9 use in eukaryotic cells, guide RNA design, in vivo delivery via AAV, SaCas9 variants, base editing, and dCas9 transcriptional activation/repression — all carry foundational patent claims. Any organisation developing CRISPR-based therapeutics, diagnostics, agricultural applications, or research tools must conduct thorough FTO analysis across these domains. The gap between Zhang's academic publications and commercial patent filings is narrow, meaning prior art searches must span both patent and literature records simultaneously.
Prior Art Relevance
For anyone filing in genome editing, base editing, epigenome editing, CRISPR delivery, or gene regulation, Zhang's published literature — particularly the pre-2015 papers — constitutes dense and highly cited prior art. The 2015 SaCas9 paper (1,515 citations), the 2013 dCas9 transcriptional control paper (1,061 citations), and the 2012 ICA paper on TAL effector synthesis (99 citations) are routinely referenced by patent examiners and opposition parties in rejections and invalidity arguments across multiple jurisdictions. Novelty searches in these domains without accounting for Zhang's literature are incomplete.
Frequently Asked Questions about Feng Zhang's Patents
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References & External Resources
- Broad Institute — CRISPR Patent Landscape
- European Patent Office — Espacenet Patent Search
- USPTO — Patent Full-Text Database
- WIPO — Patentscope International Patent Search
- In vivo genome editing using Staphylococcus aureus Cas9 (2015) — PatSnap Eureka
- Programmable repression and activation using engineered CRISPR-Cas (2013) — PatSnap Eureka
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