The Commerce Department is launching an immediate review of the intellectual property Harvard has derived from federally funded research grants.

The Trump administration on Friday ordered a comprehensive review of Harvard University's federally funded research programs, and threatened to take title to or grant licenses from the school's lucrative portfolio of patents.

The Trump administration is opening a new front in its battle with Harvard University on the issue of patents, marking a new escalation with the elite school that could result in the loss of additional federal funding or intellectual property rights.