IP Lawsuits Settled

Two lawsuits against prominent researcher Craig Thompson for allegedly failing to share intellectual property with his institution lead to a licensing agreement on cancer diagnostics.

Written byJef Akst

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In December 2011, the Leonard and Madlyn Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, part of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, filed a $1 billion lawsuit against its former head Craig Thompson, who at that time had moved on to become the president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Two months later, in February 2012, the University of Pennsylvania filed a second lawsuit.

Both lawsuits revolved around Thompson’s alleged secrecy regarding his involvement in the biotech company Agios Pharmaceuticals (a co-defendant in both suits) and business deals he was making based on his research on cancer cell metabolism.

The terms of the new settlement are “hazy,” ScienceInsider reported, but one known outcome is a licensing agreement between Agios and Penn involving diagnostics that measure metabolism of certain cancers.

“We are pleased to be collaborating with Penn and value the contributions of their scientists to this ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
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Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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