AP News -- Geron and U. of Wisc. patent agency settle.
January 9, 2002
U.S. Stem Cell Litigant Settles
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 7:44 p.m. ET
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The University of Wisconsin's patent agency and a
California company have settled a federal lawsuit over human embryonic stem
cell technology, the groups said Wednesday.
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation filed the lawsuit in August against
Geron Corp. of Menlo Park, Calif., to prevent Geron from interfering with the
foundation's ability to contract with other firms to further develop stem cell
technology.
``All of these things taken together will move the science forward faster and
bring us closer to the treatments and cures that are the promise of stem cells,''
foundation spokesman Andrew Cohn said.
In the settlement, the groups agreed on a new license which gives Geron
exclusive rights to develop products from three of the six cell types developed by
University of Wisconsin researchers. Geron also has nonexclusive rights to the
other three cell types.
David Greenwood, Geron's senior vice president and head of corporate
development, said working with the foundation to develop a new agreement on
the stem cell types made sense since they first agreed to a license in 1999.
``We've learned a lot in working with the cells in the three years and we have
sorted through very carefully what we want our business strategies to be in the
field,'' Greenwood said. ``We absolutely want to encourage other people to
invest.''
Cohn said the foundation could reach licensing agreements within months with
other companies that want to do research using its stem cell types.
Geron and the foundation also have agreed to grant research rights for existing
cell patents and patent filings to academic and governmental researchers without
royalties or fees. Other companies can form collaborations with Geron or buy
licenses to Geron's intellectual property.
Embryonic stem cells are the basic building blocks of the body from which the
organs and other cells develop. Scientists hope to use them someday to treat
Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other diseases.
Human embryonic stem cells were first isolated and grown at the University of
Wisconsin by scientist James Thomson in 1998. Geron financed much of the
early research.
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On the Net:
Geron: geron.com
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation: warf.ws
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press |
