WEST CHESTER, PA — Molecular Targeting Technologies, Inc. (MTTI) last week filed a legal complaint in the Chester County Court of Common Pleas against Dr. Xiaoyuan (Shawn) Chen, a former consultant, alleging unauthorized use of its proprietary EB-TRT technology. The lawsuit claims Dr. Chen violated a consulting services agreement by co-founding a company that is allegedly using MTTI’s protected intellectual property without authorization.
According to the filing, Dr. Chen had access to confidential EB-TRT materials while working with MTTI under contract. The company contends that following his consultancy, he breached confidentiality and intellectual property provisions by applying core elements of MTTI’s technology to a new venture.
“MTTI obtained the commercial license for the EB-TRT technology from the United States National Institutes of Health,” said Dr. Chris Pak, president and CEO of MTTI. “We view this matter with the utmost seriousness and have taken appropriate legal steps to safeguard our technology and the interests of our stakeholders.”
The company’s complaint outlines alleged violations of contract and misuse of proprietary information, emphasizing MTTI’s intent to defend its rights to the EB-TRT platform, which was originally licensed from the NIH.
MTTI stated that it has initiated a broader internal review and is considering additional legal actions in other jurisdictions. The case emphasizes the growing tension in biotechnology over intellectual property protection, particularly when innovations originate from collaborations involving academic or government research institutions.
As the legal proceedings advance, the outcome may have implications for how proprietary biomedical technologies are shared, licensed, and protected in both academic and commercial research environments.
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