NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) — Critical Therapeutics today said Beckman Coulter has exercised a licensing option to continue using its high mobility group box 1 technology.
CT said the companies penned a licensing deal in 2005 that gave BC the use of HMGB1 to develop an immunoassay to detect inflammatory diseases. HMGB1 has been identified as a possible mediator of tissue damage caused by inflammation.
Under the license, CT would receive a milestone payment on initial product sales and royalties on net sales, but specific financial terms of the agreement were not released.
CT CEO Frank Thomas said a HMBG1 blood-based test could be useful in diagnosing diseases such as multi-organ failure, sepsis, and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
CT also said it is working with MedImmune on an HMGB1 antibody clinical trials candidate.