
Transactions
Farris Represents STEMCELL on Biotechnology Acquisitions
Farris recently represented STEMCELL Technologies, Canada’s largest biotechnology company, on two significant acquisitions in the biotechnology sphere.
On January 19, STEMCELL completed an acquisition of Propagenix Inc., a Maryland-based biotechnology company focused on cell bioproduction platforms for regenerative therapies.
STEMCELL’s acquisition includes all of Propagenix’s assets and intellectual property portfolio, its existing business arrangements, as well as its exclusive license with Georgetown University. Propagenix’s technology has potential applications for regenerative medicine and drug screening for personalized medicine.
On February 29, STEMCELL acquired substantially all of the assets of SQZ Biotechnologies Company, a Massachusetts-based biotech known for its game-changing method of introducing a variety of therapeutic cargoes into cells by squeezing them (mechanoporation). With the approval of the SQZ transaction, STEMCELL has acquired substantially all of SQZ’s assets including its entire portfolio of over 400 patents and trademarks, other intellectual property such as copyrights and trade secrets, proprietary equipment, and its head license with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
STEMCELL was represented on both acquisitions by a Farris transaction team of James P. Hatton, K.C., Jeff Hart and Nick Allen. James is the partner responsible for the Technology Group at Farris and has more than 30 years experience assisting companies to exploit the value of their intellectual property assets.