Ocera, Roche Enter Tech Transfer Agreement

Ocera Therapeutics has entered into a technology transfer and license agreement with Roche, including the R&D arm of Genentech, for rights to its Macrocyclic Template Chemistry (MATCH) discovery platform. Ocera will transfer ownership of equipment and materials related the MATCH technology and grant a license to Genentech and Roche for related intellectual property rights, for a one-time payment of $4 million.
 
“Both the Genentech and Roche research organizations have an interest in the application of our MATCH technology,” said Linda Grais, M.D., J.D., chief executive officer of Ocera. “We are excited that we have found a good home for this technology where it may benefit the Roche Group and ultimately patients, while we focus our efforts on clinical development of OCR-002, our product candidate for the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy, a serious liver disorder.”