Higher Education Law Report
University Professor Is Sued For Allegedly Stealing ALS Drug Invention
September 20, 2011
Case: Nuvo Research Inc. v. McGrath (filed August 15, 2011, N.D. Cal.) What allegedly happened: In a complaint filed on August 15, 2011 in the Northern District of California court, Nuvo Research Inc. alleges that a UCSF professor, who had worked as a consultant for Nuvo, applied for a patent on an ALS (sometimes called Lou Gehrig’s Disease) drug that others at Nuvo invented. The university was not sued. The professor is currently performing clinical trials on the drug with ALS patients in conjunction with his own company. Comment: There seems to be some concern that this law suit could slow or stop the clinical trials of the ALS drug.