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Collaborative Research, Development, and License Agreements
12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2025
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Collaborative Research, Development, and License Agreements

Note 6. Collaborative Research, Development, and License Agreements

License Agreements

BICO Group AB

 

In February 2022, the Company entered into a license agreement with Cellink AB and its subsidiaries (collectively, “BICO Group AB”), where the Company agreed to grant a non-exclusive license to BICO Group AB to use the Company’s aforementioned patents for its business operations of manufacturing and selling bioprinters as well as bioinks. As part of the license agreement, BICO Group AB agreed to pay the Company a one time, nonrefundable upfront fee of $1,500,000, as well as ongoing sales-based royalties (based on percentages of BICO Group AB’s net sales) for the use of the granted license, which was recorded as revenue. The sales-based royalties became effective beginning on February 22, 2022, the effective date of the license agreement, and continues until the expiration of the last surviving licensed patent. As the sales-based royalties are required to be paid 45 days after the end of every quarter, there is variable consideration that must be estimated to determine royalty revenue within a given reporting period. Once actual revenue earned is determined in the following fiscal quarter, an adjustment is made from the previously estimated amount. For the years ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company recorded $119,000 and $109,000, respectively, of royalty revenue based on sales-based royalties from the license agreement.

 

Also as part of the license agreement, certain patents involved in the agreement are sublicensed by the Company from the University of Missouri and certain patents were previously sublicensed by the Company from Clemson University. See below for further information.

University of Missouri

In March 2009, the Company entered into a license agreement with the Curators of the University of Missouri to in-license certain technology and intellectual property relating to self-assembling cell aggregates and to intermediate cellular units. The Company received the exclusive worldwide rights to commercialize products comprising this technology for all fields of use. The Company is required to pay the University of Missouri royalties ranging from 1% to 3% of net sales of covered tissue products, and of the fair market value of covered tissues transferred internally for use in the Company’s commercial service business, depending on the level of net sales achieved by the Company each year.

 

On December 5, 2022, the Company amended the license agreement with the University of Missouri, whereby the Company agreed to pay a single, upfront payment of $50,000 to the University of Missouri in exchange for the aforementioned licensed intellectual property to be fully paid up by the Company. As a result, the Company will continue to have rights to the licensed intellectual property until its expiration in June 2028, but will no longer owe minimum annual royalty payments, royalty payments based on net sales, or any other payments (other than patent annuities and any prosecution costs) in the future.

Clemson University

In May 2011, the Company entered into a license agreement with Clemson University Research Foundation ("CURF") to in-license certain technology and intellectual property relating to ink-jet printing of viable cells. The Company received the exclusive worldwide rights to commercialize products comprising this technology for all fields of use. The Company was required to pay the university royalties ranging from 1.5% to 3% of net sales of covered tissue products and the fair market value of covered tissues transferred internally for use in the Company’s commercial service business, depending on the level of net sales reached each year. The license agreement terminated in May 2024 upon expiration of the patents licensed and was subject to certain conditions as defined in the license agreement. Minimum annual royalty payments of $40,000 per year were due beginning in calendar 2016. Royalty payments of $40,000 were made for the years ended March 31, 2025 and 2024. The annual minimum royalty was creditable against royalties owed during the same calendar year.

 

In addition to the annual royalty noted above, CURF was owed 40% of all payments including but not limited to, upfront payments, license fees, issue fees, maintenance fees, and milestone payments received from third parties, including sublicensees, in consideration for sublicensing rights to licensed products. However, per the agreement, in the event that the Company defended the technology by litigation, it could offset any royalties due by legal expenses incurred. As of the expiration of the license agreement in May 2024, the Company’s legal expenses exceeded royalties owed from the upfront payment and sales-based royalties related to the BICO Group AB license agreement. Therefore, no royalty expense to CURF was recorded for the year ended March 31, 2025 and no royalty expense related to sales-based royalties was ever recorded under the agreement.

 

Capitalized License Fees

Capitalized license fees consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

 

 

March 31,
2025

 

 

March 31,
2024

 

License fees

 

$

44

 

 

$

109

 

Less accumulated amortization

 

 

(39

)

 

 

(101

)

License fees, net

 

$

5

 

 

$

8

 

 

The above license fees, net of accumulated amortization, are included in prepaid expenses and other assets in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets and are being amortized over the life of the related patents. Amortization expense of licenses was approximately $3,000 and $5,000 for the years ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, which are included in selling, general, and administrative expenses. At March 31, 2025, the weighted average remaining amortization period for all licenses was approximately 2 years. The annual amortization expense of licenses for the next three years is estimated to be approximately $2,000 per year.

 

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies

In March 2023, the Company acquired the FXR Agonist program from Metacrine. All patent rights related to this program were assigned to the Company in connection with the acquisition. In addition, the Company assumed and was assigned a license agreement with the Salk Institute for Biological Studies (hereafter “Salk”) that provided for certain payments to Salk upon the successful development and commercialization of the lead compound, FXR314. The Company was required to pay Salk royalties ranging from 1% to 1.125% of net sales of therapeutics based on FXR314. In addition, the Company was required to make certain milestone payments based on the successful initiation and/or completion of certain development milestones, including $500,000 within 45 days of the dosing of the first patient in a phase III clinical trial, $1,000,000 within 45 days of FDA approval of the first Licensed Product and $1,500,000 within 45 days of the first commercial sale of a Licensed Product in the Territory. There were also reduced milestone payments application to a second or third licensed product, if any. In March 2025, the Company closed the sale of its FXR program under which the license agreement was assigned to the buyer thereof. Pursuant to the license agreement with Salk, the Company paid $100,000 to Salk following the closing of the sale of the FXR program, which was recorded as selling, general, and administrative royalty expense.