fqubed executes license contract with Pharmacopeia

Under the terms of the agreement fqubed has been granted a worldwide license, exclusive in fqubed's areas of business interest, to the intellectual property claimed in two issued Pharmacopeia patents.

fqubed has also acquired from Pharmacopeia two high throughput experimentation instruments that embody certain of the patented claims. The technology integrates multiplexed fluid dispensing through a novel valveless delivery system, fluid processing, and automated soft materials product collection.

Originally invented to streamline a solvent processing step in Pharmacopeia's discovery chemistry workflow, fqubed has identified a number of other application possibilities. The terms of the license agreement include payments to Pharmacopeia of a license issuance fee and royalties on both sales of systems and applications in services collaborations.

fqubed intends both to modify and to further develop the licensed technology, internally and in development collaborations with partners. 'Pharmacopeia has developed a considerable intellectual property portfolio as we have built and developed our ECLiPS compound synthesis and uHTS platforms,' noted Dr Stephen Spearman, chief operating officer of Pharmacopeia Drug Discovery. 'We are always interested in leveraging these assets through relationships with innovative companies like fqubed, who we believe will be able to build scientific and commercial value using our inventions in areas that are beyond the scope of our own efforts.'

'fqubed's intellectual property portfolio derives from two main activities,' explained Dr John Newsam, fqubed's president and managing director. 'Firstly, we have executed license agreements with third parties, the present agreement being the third of these that we have concluded to date. Secondly, we continue to file for patent protection for lead inventions made by the fqubed team. The team has filed nine patent applications to date, the first two of which have recently been allowed by the US Patent Office. In addition to the slate of capabilities that we maintain as internal trade-secret, these two external activities are important components of our accumulating technology position.'

'Pharmacopeia has an impressive track record of sustained technology innovation,' said Dr R Dominic King-Smith, fqubed's VP of business development. 'We are pleased to have the opportunity to benefit from Pharmacopeia's patented technologies. While the innovations that fqubed is making in the development of novel drug delivery media differ from those in the development of drug leads themselves, there are real opportunities for cross-leveraging of technology developments. The high throughput experimentation systems now covered by this license agreement are a good example of one of these.'