Organization and Operations	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization and Operations	1. Organization and Operations Nature of business CRISPR Therapeutics AG (“CRISPR” or the “Company”) was formed on October 28, 2013 in Basel, Switzerland. The Company was established to translate CRISPR/Cas9, a genome editing technology, into transformative gene-based medicines for the treatment of serious human diseases. The foundational intellectual property underlying the Company’s operations was licensed to the Company and its subsidiaries in April 2014. The Company devotes substantially all of its efforts to product research and development activities, initial market development and raising capital. The Company’s principal offices and operations are in Cambridge, Massachusetts. On January 23, 2014, the founders of the Company formed TRACR Hematology Limited (“TRACR”) in the United Kingdom, to further the development of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology into medicines for the treatment of blood-borne illnesses. As the Company was funding and managing TRACR’s operations in 2014, it has been consolidated by the Company from the date that the Company established a variable interest in TRACR in April 2014. In March 2015, the Company acquired 82.1% of the outstanding equity of TRACR in a share exchange transaction. Concurrent with its initial public offering (“IPO”) in October 2016, the Company acquired the outstanding non-controlling interest in TRACR as such, as of December 31, 2016 TRACR is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. The Company is subject to risks common to companies in the biotechnology industry, including but not limited to, risks of failure of preclinical studies and clinical trials, the need to obtain marketing approval for any drug product candidate that it may identify and develop, the need to successfully commercialize and gain market acceptance of its product candidates, dependence on key personnel, protection of proprietary technology, compliance with government regulations, development by competitors of technological innovations and ability to transition from pilot-scale manufacturing to large-scale production of products. The Company had an accumulated deficit of $57.1 million as of December 31, 2016 and has financed its operations to date from proceeds obtained from its initial public offering a series of preferred shares and convertible loan issuances and upfront fees received under its collaboration and joint venture arrangements. The Company will require substantial additional capital to fund its research and development and ongoing operating expenses. Liquidity In October 2016, the Company completed the IPO of its common shares (“Common Shares”), in which the Company sold 4,429,311 Common Shares, inclusive of 429,311 Common Shares sold by the Company pursuant to the partial exercise of an overallotment option granted to the underwriters in connection with the offering, at a price of $14.00 per share. The shares began trading on the NASDAQ Global Market on October 19, 2016. The aggregate net proceeds received by the Company from the offering were $53.7 million (see Note 2) after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by the Company. Concurrent with the IPO, the Company issued and sold 2,500,000 Common Shares to Bayer Global Investments B.V. (“Bayer BV”), in a private placement, at the IPO price of $14.00 per share, for aggregate net proceeds of $35.0 million. Common Shares totaling 170,689 of the overallotment option granted by the underwriters in connection with the initial public offering were reacquired by the Company and are reflected as treasury shares on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2016. The Company believes its cash of $315.5 million at December 31, 2016 will be sufficient to fund the Company’s current operating plan for at least the next 24 months. Thereafter, the Company will be required to obtain additional funding. There can be no assurances, however, that the current operating plan will be achieved or that additional funding will be available on terms acceptable to the Company, or at all.

1. Organization and Operations

Nature of business

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (“CRISPR” or the “Company”) was formed on October 28, 2013 in Basel, Switzerland. The Company was established to translate CRISPR/Cas9, a genome editing technology, into transformative gene-based medicines for the treatment of serious human diseases. The foundational intellectual property underlying the Company’s operations was licensed to the Company and its subsidiaries in April 2014. The Company devotes substantially all of its efforts to product research and development activities, initial market development and raising capital. The Company’s principal offices and operations are in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

On January 23, 2014, the founders of the Company formed TRACR Hematology Limited (“TRACR”) in the United Kingdom, to further the development of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology into medicines for the treatment of blood-borne illnesses. As the Company was funding and managing TRACR’s operations in 2014, it has been consolidated by the Company from the date that the Company established a variable interest in TRACR in April 2014. In March 2015, the Company acquired 82.1% of the outstanding equity of TRACR in a share exchange transaction. Concurrent with its initial public offering (“IPO”) in October 2016, the Company acquired the outstanding non-controlling interest in TRACR as such, as of December 31, 2016 TRACR is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company.

The Company is subject to risks common to companies in the biotechnology industry, including but not limited to, risks of failure of preclinical studies and clinical trials, the need to obtain marketing approval for any drug product candidate that it may identify and develop, the need to successfully commercialize and gain market acceptance of its product candidates, dependence on key personnel, protection of proprietary technology, compliance with government regulations, development by competitors of technological innovations and ability to transition from pilot-scale manufacturing to large-scale production of products.

The Company had an accumulated deficit of $57.1 million as of December 31, 2016 and has financed its operations to date from proceeds obtained from its initial public offering a series of preferred shares and convertible loan issuances and upfront fees received under its collaboration and joint venture arrangements. The Company will require substantial additional capital to fund its research and development and ongoing operating expenses.

Liquidity

In October 2016, the Company completed the IPO of its common shares (“Common Shares”), in which the Company sold 4,429,311 Common Shares, inclusive of 429,311 Common Shares sold by the Company pursuant to the partial exercise of an overallotment option granted to the underwriters in connection with the offering, at a price of $14.00 per share. The shares began trading on the NASDAQ Global Market on October 19, 2016. The aggregate net proceeds received by the Company from the offering were $53.7 million (see Note 2) after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by the Company. Concurrent with the IPO, the Company issued and sold 2,500,000 Common Shares to Bayer Global Investments B.V. (“Bayer BV”), in a private placement, at the IPO price of $14.00 per share, for aggregate net proceeds of $35.0 million. Common Shares totaling 170,689 of the overallotment option granted by the underwriters in connection with the initial public offering were reacquired by the Company and are reflected as treasury shares on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2016. The Company believes its cash of $315.5 million at December 31, 2016 will be sufficient to fund the Company’s current operating plan for at least the next 24 months. Thereafter, the Company will be required to obtain additional funding. There can be no assurances, however, that the current operating plan will be achieved or that additional funding will be available on terms acceptable to the Company, or at all.