PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Nuclea Biotechnologies' intellectual property will be sold at auction in January.

 

Heritage Global Partners will auction the material online globally on Jan. 18. The sale includes the licensing, patents, and materials for the various diagnostic tests the company developed. The auction is part of the bankruptcy proceedings, which the company filed for earlier this year.

 

According to court documents, the company has as much $10 million in liability as it proceeds with Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The liquidation of the assets is eyed to pay back creditors as much as possible in order of priority.

 

The company was founded in 2005 by Patrick Muraca and a year ago he resigned as CEO to start a new company — NanoDX — in the Albany area. Don Pogorzelski was hired to head Nuclea and about a month later the company left Pittsfield. 

 

The company said in January that a major reorganization led to the closure of the two Pittsfield locations — Elm Street and Kellogg.

 

"Since its inception, a major area of focus for the company has been economic development and job creation. The new plan will position the Company to grow rapidly, and to continue providing essential diagnostic kits and services for the management of patients in oncology and diabetes," the statement read.

 

In August, Nuclea filed for bankruptcy.

 

Nuclea was once a highly touted aspect of the city's future but has fallen dramatically since. It hit its high point just two years ago when former Gov. Deval Patrick used the company's Elm Street facility to tout a $510,000 tax incentive that was eyed to help the company grow — a tax incentive that required jobs just until the end of 2015.  

 

Nuclea then boasted of employment numbers of 70, with 43 workers located in the Berkshires with plans to add 35 to 40 more. It purchased Wilex Inc., taking control of a 20,000 square-foot facility in Cambridge and 11 employees. 

 

City officials rallied to bring the company to the proposed Berkshire Innovation Center — which Nuclea later backed out of — and to the William Stanley Business Park. Nuclea also partnered with local colleges for job training. In 2012, it moved into the Kellogg Street office and invested some $200,000 into the 1,700 square-foot space. 

 

With the bankruptcy, the city is likely to lose some $1,500 in unpaid taxes, the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority is out $10,000 for unpaid rent in the Kellogg Street office. It is unlikely that the city sees much, if anything, from the liquidation.