Celsis In-Vitro has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against XenoTech, Sekisui Chemical and Sekisui Medical in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago. XenoTech and Sekisui Medical are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Sekisui Chemical.

The company said that the complaint alleges that certain processes and methods performed by XenoTech associated with its in-vitro drug testing services and its pooled cryopreserved hepatocyte products, including CryoXTreme, infringes one or more claims of US Patent No. 7604929 (the ‘929 patent).

The complaint also alleges that Sekisui Chemical and Sekisui Medical are inducing infringement of the ‘929 patent and seeks monetary damages and injunctive relief. Celsis IVT is represented by Jordan Sigale and Adam Kelly of Loeb & Loeb.

The ‘929 patent relates to processes and methods for producing cryopreserved hepatocytes. In general, this technology combines hepatocytes from multiple donors to create large lots with targeted activity levels, the result of which is a product that speeds up decision making and reduces the time and cost of drug research, said the company.

Jay LeCoque, CEO of Celsis, said: “Innovation is the lifeblood of Celsis and the entire life sciences industry. It must be protected if we are to advance the cause of cost-effective drug discovery. We are disappointed that we are forced to take a litigation path after an unsuccessful attempt to meaningfully discuss our proprietary rights with XenoTech. Yet, we remain hopeful that the Defendants will cooperate with us to reach a successful resolution.”