The University of Western Australia has amended its legal claim against former staff member Dr Bruce Gray and the company he founded, Sirtex Medical Ltd, over ownership of various intellectual property.
The university has previously claimed that it, and not Dr Gray, owns the cancer treatment technology currently being commercialised by Sirtex.
At stake are shares in Sirtex worth approximately $40 million.
UWA has amended its claim to include a related patented technology currently used by Sirtex.
The University's legal claim has triggered an acrimonious boardroom brawl at Sirtex, with the Sydney-based company launching a cross-claim against Dr Gray.
He has subsequently stepped down as chairman but has sought to oust the remaining non-executive directors.
Sirtex today provided further details of UWA's claim, and stated that UWA was not seeking to put the company into receivership "as asserted by Dr Gray at the annual general meeting".
It also said UWA "asserts that it has reached a settlement agreement" with the Cancer Research Institute, an entity associated with Dr Gray which has a substantial shareholding in Sirtex.
"The status and enforceabiluty of the alleged settlement agreement is in dispute," Sirtex said.
