News Releases

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute issued the following statement today:

We are very pleased that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the ruling of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts that Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientist Gordon Freeman and a collaborator are joint inventors on six critical immunotherapy patents.

After a lengthy trial in May 2019, Judge Patti B. Saris found “clear and convincing evidence” that Dr. Freeman made significant contributions to conceiving a novel method of treating cancer by harnessing the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway. In a unanimous decision, the Court of Appeals agreed.

Dana-Farber is continuing plans to license the technology, which is embodied in several of the newest immunotherapy drugs, to additional companies seeking to develop anti-PD-1 and anti-PDL-1 cancer therapies.

Press release from initial ruling in May 2019: www.dana-farber.org/newsroom/news-releases/2019/u-s--district-court-rules-dana-farber-scientist-is-an-inventor--on-six-critical-immunotherapy-patents/