A federal appeals court has dismissed appeals by stem cell firm Advanced Cell Technology and the University of Massachusetts of two earlier patent interference decisions related to nuclear transfer (i.e., cloning) technology, Menlo Park, Calif.-based Geron Corporation (GERN) said on September 6.
Geron acquired rights to this technology from the U.K.’s Roslin Institute in 1999 and subsequently initiated patent interferences with conflicting patents held by the University of Massachusetts.
A U.S. Patent Office appeals panel ruled in favor of Geron on all counts in both interferences.
Subsequently, the university and its licensee Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) filed appeals with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Geron said in a statement that in 2005 Geron and Exeter Life Sciences established a joint venture company, stART Licensing, Inc., to manage and license intellectual property rights for animal reproductive technologies.
Geron has retained all rights to the technology for use in human cells.
The dismissals of the patent interference appeals by the federal court were part of an agreement reached between stART Licensing, the university and ACT.
Geron is developing therapies for the treatment of cancer and degenerative diseases, including spinal cord injury, heart failure, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.
Contact: David L. Greenwood, 650-473-7765 http://www.geron.com.
