Addgene is like Netflix, only for plasmids. Once Martin and I had submitted our CRISPR article, we sent his plasmids to Addgene for safekeeping, much as film studios license their movies to Netflix. Many other research laboratories that produce CRISPR plasmids do the same. Addgene keeps careful track of the plasmids it has on file, advertises the plasmids and their exact specifications on a website, and generates thousands of duplicate copies that can be distributed to eager customers.
