UMass Lowell’s Largest-Ever IP Deal will Advance Research, Tech Transfer
06/09/2016
Media contacts: Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – When global pharmaceutical company Allergan recently acquired a startup named Anterios, it also acquired intellectual property developed at UMass Lowell. The deal will bring millions of dollars to the campus and UMass system for research and technology transfer.
Anterios is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a next-generation delivery system and botulinum toxin-based prescription products. With the purchase of Anterios, Allergan also acquired global rights to NDS (TM), a proprietary technology that enables local, targeted delivery of neurotoxins through the skin without the need for an injection.
It was developed by researchers led by Prof. Stephen McCarthy and Prof. Emeritus Robert Nicolosi at UMass Lowell, where McCarthy is co-director of the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2), which has helped more than 100 entrepreneurs seeking to get their products to market. Nicolosi taught nutritional sciences and conducted research at UMass Lowell for more than 20 years.
“The key to this delivery system is that a product can be encapsulated in water-absorbent spheres that are small enough to enter the pores of the skin,” said McCarthy, a professor of plastics engineering who holds eight patents for inventions in areas including biodegradable plastics.
The acquisition of Anterios by Allergan translates into a $3.8 million equity payout for UMass Lowell and the UMass system. It’s the largest intellectual property deal to date for UMass Lowell, according to Rajnish Kaushik, assistant director of UMass Lowell’s Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC).
OTC oversees protection and commercialization of intellectual property developed by faculty at UMass Lowell with the mission of facilitating the transfer of technology arising from that research to the private sector via licensing to startups and established companies.
“This successful exit of a startup based on UMass Lowell’s intellectual property speaks to the creativity of our faculty and the opportunity for their research to have an impact both on people’s lives and on economic development,” Kaushik said. “Startups play a significant role in bringing technologies born in academic laboratories into the marketplace. The entrepreneurial spirit at UMass Lowell and across the UMass system helps fuel this success.”
Collaborating in the research were UMass Lowell Biological Science Prof. Tom Shea, along with Tom Wilson, associate professor of clinical laboratory and nutritional sciences, and Carl Lawton, associate professor of chemical engineering. Balint Koroskenyi contributed to the group’s work as a UMass Lowell post-doctoral researcher and Jean-Bosco Tagne, Fongshu Kuo and Srikanth Kakumanu participated while they were doctoral students at the university.
The revenue generated for UMass Lowell from this license will be invested to advance the commercialization of other technologies and other research conducted at the university, according to OTC.
UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its 17,500 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu