A Medical Device Daily

University of California (Berkeley) inventors were removed from U.S. patent No. 6,777,231, which was licensed to Cytori Therapeutics (San Diego). The decision was made by the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California.

The '231 patent covers isolated adipose-derived stem cells and does not affect Cytori's commercialization of the Celution System or the company's product pipeline. However, Cytori believes that the court's decision is incorrect and that the University of California may elect to appeal the ruling.

Cytori was recently granted a foundational patent on its Celution System device technology for processing a mixture of adult stem and regenerative cells from adipose tissue. All patents within the company's worldwide portfolio of issued and pending patent applications pertaining to the Celution technology are owned by Cytori and not affected by the decision.