Positing substance addiction as a memory disease, Addiction Therapies Inc. seeks to address both its chemical and behavioral components. Initially targeting nicotine, alcohol and cocaine addiction, ATI will combine novel therapeutics drugs with proprietary dosing strategies in a platform designed to actively engage addicts in their own recovery.

Savvy venture capitalists, biotech firms, and pharmaceutical companies have long recognized universities as technology troves of untapped value. In the last year or so, universities have developed a heightened perception of their own value--and are increasingly willing to exploit it through creative dealmaking. A look at the previous six months of licenses and research agreements signed between universities and pharmaceutical companies.