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Protecting Innovation: Life Sciences IP Seminar Series

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Join Us for a Six-Week Seminar Series on Life Sciences Intellectual PropertyGain practical guidance on protecting innovation and...

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Join Us for a Six-Week Seminar Series on Life Sciences Intellectual PropertyGain practical guidance on protecting innovation and navigating today’s complex IP landscape.Through a dynamic, hypothetical case study, this interactive program brings real-world challenges to life, giving participants hands-on opportunities to explore strategies for:<ul><li>Managing patents effectively</li><li>Mitigating legal and business risks</li><li>Positioning innovations for long-term growth in the fast-evolving life sciences industry</li></ul>Who Should Attend?This series is designed for entrepreneurs, scientists, students, postdoctoral researchers, investors, and professionals working in the life sciences who want to deepen their understanding of intellectual property and its strategic role in innovation.What You Will Gain:<ul><li>Actionable insights into patenting, IP management, and competitor strategies</li><li>Practical tools to reduce risks and ensure freedom to operate</li><li>Strategic knowledge to support business growth, investor due diligence, and smarter decision-making</li></ul><hr>

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Dr. Janet (Jian) Xiao is a leading patent attorney specializing in global patent procurement, patent portfolio management, and IP strategic planning for life sciences and biopharmaceutical companies. Recognized by Chambers USA and Chambers Global as a top-ranked intellectual property lawyer, Dr. Xiao is highly sought after by biotech and pharmaceutical innovators worldwide for patent prosecution, patent strategy, and life sciences IP counsel.Dr Xiao’s clients range from large renowned multinational companies to emerging startups worldwide. She advises her clients on patent matters relating to various technologies including antibody therapeutics, cell therapeutics, nanomedicine, gene therapy, drug delivery systems, diagnostics, and nutraceuticals. Recognized for her deep understanding of the industry and knowledge of IP, Janet is known for developing and strengthening her clients’ complex patent portfolios to maximize their commercial value and success. She has been instrumental on the strategy development for multibillion-dollar patent portfolios for pharmaceutical clients, and adds tremendous value by combining her creative legal skills, keen business acumen, and solid foundation in science. As impressed clients noted to Chambers, “Janet consistently delivers a very high level of client service and exhibits strong commercial awareness and vision.”Janet works extensively in performing IP due diligence reviews in the contexts of VC investments, technology transactions, mergers and acquisitions, as well as marketing and manufacturing clearance for biopharmaceutical products. She works closely with her clients to assess potential risks and devise preemptive risk-management strategies for their product development and investments. She has led hundreds of IP due diligence projects, and is most notable for her deep knowledge about patent landscapes in the fields of cancer immunotherapy, gene editing, next-generation sequencing, liquid biopsy, antibody manufacturing, and medical devices. Janet works synergistically with patent litigators in the event of legal challenges by third-party competitors or vice versa, and is frequently called upon to represent clients in litigation and post-grant proceedings.Janet is among the very few IP attorneys in the world who are both equipped with solid skills in global strategic IP management and knowledgeable about IP issues unique to China and Chinese clients, and she has been the go-to counsel for IP issues in U.S./China cross-border transactions and operations in China. As Chambers Global 2024 notes, “She is great, very strong and thoughtful. She has a very large contingent of Chinese companies.”Janet is the Head of China Life Sciences at Morrison Foerster and served as co-chair of the firm’s global Life Sciences Group from 2016 to 2019. Chambers Global states that Janet “is recognized for her knowledge of IP law relating to the life sciences arena,” and that she is “held in high regard by sources for her deep understanding of the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.” In a recent edition of Chambers Global, a client remarks, “Janet is a wonderful lawyer. She is very experienced in advising life sciences clients doing business in China and the US. She is highly responsive and always gives practical advice. Her IP expertise adds tremendous value to our business.”

肖荐（Janet Xiao）博士的业务侧重于为生命科学公司处理在全球范围内的专利采购、专利组合管理和战略策划事宜。肖博士服务的客户范围广泛，包括大型跨国生物制药公司，例如赛尔基因公司（Celgene）和基因泰克公司（Genentech），也包括全球范围的新兴创业公司。她经常就与各种技术有关的专利事宜向客户提供法律意见，其中涉及的技术包括抗体疗法、细胞疗法、纳米医学、基因疗法、给药系统、诊断和和营养学等。来自全球的创新者纷纷向肖博士寻求专利申请和专利战略的法律咨询，这一点也得到了《钱伯斯指南》的认可。她帮助客户开发和加强其复杂的专利组合，从而为客户实现最大的商业价值。在为制药行业的客户制定数十亿美元专利组合的战略方面，肖博士发挥着重要的作用。《钱伯斯指南》曾引用客户评价称，“肖博士是我曾合作过的律师当中知识最渊博、效率最高的一位律师。她能很好地将专利组合的历史信息用于全球专利申请问题上。”肖博士针对风险投资、技术交易、并购和生物医药产品的市场推广与生产许可事宜开展广泛的知识产权尽职调查审查工作。她协助世界上一些最成功的生物制药公司和投资者，为其产品开发和投资评估潜在风险，并制定先发制人的风险管理策略。她曾牵头处理过数百个知识产权尽职调查项目，并凭借自己对癌症免疫治疗、基因编辑、新一代测序、液体活检、抗体制造和医疗设备领域的专利方面的深厚知识而闻名。肖博士时常与专利诉讼律师合作，处理由第三方竞争者提出的法律质疑，或对第三方竞争者提出的法律质疑，她还经常受聘代表客户处理专利诉讼和授予后程序。肖博士是美富中国生命科学业务组主管，她曾在2016至2019期间担任美富全球生命科学业务组的联席主管。肖博士是全球为数不多的既拥有很强的全球战略性知识产权管理技能，同时又对中国和中国客户独特的知识产权问题具有深刻理解的知识产权律师之一，她一直是处理中美跨境交易和在中国境内经营中所涉知识产权问题的首选律师。《钱伯斯全球指南》称赞她是一位优秀的知识产权律师，“她因处理与复杂跨境交易有关的知识产权问题工作而知名，经常代表中国客户处理这方面的事宜” 。在近期一版《钱伯斯全球指南》中，某客户评价称，“肖博士在为于中国和美国开展业务的生命科学客户提供法律意见方面，有非常丰富的经验。她非常负责而且总是提供切实可行的法律意见。她在知识产权方面的专业意见为我们的业务增添了巨大价值。”自2005年以来，肖博士一直积极参与北美华人生物医药协会（CABS）的领导工作。该协会是一家非营利组织，致力于成为连接中美两国生命科学领域的纽带。肖博士在2011至2012年间担任该协会主席。她还是百华协会（BayHelix）的成员。百华协会是一家非营利组织，由全球生命科技和医疗保健产业领域的华人精英组成。

Janet Xiao

Partner

Anna Yuan’s practice focuses on patent prosecution, IP due diligence, post-grant proceedings, and IP litigation support. She has been recognized as one of the “Ones to Watch” in America by Best Lawyers and a Rising Star in Intellectual Property by Americas Women in Business Law. Anna is the co-founder and co-chair of the firm’s Life Sciences + AI patent practice. She leverages her experience in software development and product design gained as a product manager at Microsoft to build valuable patent portfolios covering highly complex technologies to maximize their commercial value. Anna’s practice spans a wide array of technologies, including artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, blockchain, robotics, electronic devices, data analytics, virtual reality, wireless communications, network security, medical devices, diagnostics, health care, and genomics. She has developed and managed clients’ core portfolios in the United States, China, Canada, Europe, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and Australia. Anna’s clients include emerging companies, multinational corporations, and universities.Anna received her J.D. from Harvard Law School. During law school, she served as an executive editor of the Harvard International Law Journal and co-founded the Harvard China Law Association. She was also active in clinical and pro bono programs such as the Cyberlaw Clinic based at the Harvard Berkman Center for Internet and Society, and the Harvard Mediation Program.She received her B.S. summa cum laude in computer engineering from Louisiana State University, with minors in computer science and mathematics. Prior to attending law school, Anna worked as a program manager at Microsoft in the Windows Division. At Microsoft, she led projects relating to software user interface design, software reliability, and software privacy compliance. She has also worked as a facilities engineer at Chevron and as a software developer at Halliburton.She is admitted to practice in California and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Anna is a fluent Chinese speaker and regularly counsels Chinese clients in Silicon Valley and abroad.

Anna Yuan

Of Counsel

Briana’s practice focuses on patent preparation, prosecution, and counseling in the areas of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and artificial intelligence.Prior to joining Morrison Foerster as an associate, Briana was a summer associate and worked as a law clerk where she advised companies and nonprofit organizations on regulatory pathways to conduct research in novel areas and assisted partners in the design and execution of international patent searches to identify prior art and freedom to operate boundaries.Briana received her J.D. from Stanford Law School where she served as the co-president of the BioLaw club, editor of the Stanford Technology Law Review, and a 2022-2023 Stanford Center for Law and Bioscience Student Fellow.Briana holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in genetics, genomic, and systems biology from the University of Chicago, where she conducted studies of gene regulation to explore the mechanistic basis for complex traits and diseases. While at the University of Chicago, she created reproducible pipelines to analyze functional genomic data using multiple programming languages. For her work, she was awarded the Nan Xiao Prize for Computational Reproducibility and a NIH Ruth L. Kirschtein F31 Fellowship.Briana also holds a B.S., magna cum laude, in biology and Spanish from Duke University. As an undergraduate student, she conducted population genetics research to understand the impact of genetic variation on trait variation between and within species.

Briana Mittleman

Associate

As chair of the biotechnology group and a member of the firm’s food and agriculture steering committee, Dr. Meghan Poon counsels clients on patent preparation and prosecution, portfolio strategy, and IP due diligence in the areas of life science and agriculture. Meghan is passionate about working with cutting edge technologies at the frontier or science that impacts human health and global food security. She has significant experience in diverse technologies including antibodies, cell and gene therapies, diagnostics, and gene edited plants. Meghan manages a cross-technology team to service clients developing technology at the interface of life science and AI.Meghan represents clients ranging from large international pharmaceutical companies to midsized companies, startups, and universities. She has filed numerous Patent Term Extension applications to secure additional term for her clients’ patents which cover FDA approved products. In addition, Meghan has extensive experience addressing complex obviousness-double patenting and subject matter eligibility issues impacting her clients’ patent portfolios. Meghan also represents clients in both investor side and target side due diligence in deals from seed funding to initial public offerings.Meghan is a thought leader on intellectual property issues facing pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and agriculture companies and is sought after to speak at events and publish on these issues. Meghan has written numerous articles on the topics of patents vs. trade secrets, subject matter edibility, written description and enablement in life sciences. Meghan is editor of the MoFo Life Sciences Blog, where she directs content.Prior to law school, Meghan earned her PhD in biological chemistry based at the University of California, Los Angeles. Meghan’s Ph.D. work focused on analysis of protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions of site-specific recombinases. Meghan is the author of several scientific publications and has presented her research at international conferences.Meghan received her J.D. from the University of Southern California Law School and spent a year as a visiting student at Santa Clara University, where she focused on intellectual property.

Meghan Poon

Dr. Yuying (Kate) You advises life sciences and biotechnology clients on complex intellectual property strategy, offering pragmatic and business-aligned counsel to support innovation and commercialization. She partners with in-house teams to develop robust patent strategies tailored to evolving technologies and competitive landscapes, with a focus on maximizing long-term portfolio value and practical outcomes.Kate has deep experience in advising on a broad spectrum of technologies, including cell therapy (such as CAR-T, TCR-T, NK, Treg), gene therapy, biologics, cancer therapeutics, metabolic modulators, in vivo delivery vehicles and strategies, circular RNA, and diagnostics/prognostics. She is experienced in portfolio building, balancing strategic strength, commercial priorities, and lifecycle planning.Prior to joining the firm, Dr. Kate You was postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, where she worked on multiple clinical research projects, established several international and domestic collaborations, and developed a novel diagnostic assay for an autoimmune neurological disease. During her Ph.D. study at University of Alabama at Birmingham in the department of microbiology, Dr. You conducted two research projects on basic immunology, both published in peer-review journals. Dr. You received the Hiramoto Travel Award and was invited to orally present her findings at three international conferences.Dr. You was co-president of the Chinese Life-Science Postdocs and Students at Stanford for a year and president at the Chinese American BioPharmaceutical Society (CABS).Dr. You earned her J.D. at University of California, in Los Angeles, CA, her  Ph.D. in microbiology/immunology from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, AL and her B.S. in biology from the Fudan University in Shanghai, China.Dr. You is admitted in California and is fluent in Mandarin.

Yuying (Kate) You

Dr. Ethan M. Weiner is of counsel in the firm’s Intellectual Property Group. His practice focuses on patent prosecution, IP due diligence, and patent portfolio management and counseling.Dr. Weiner handles a wide array of technologies, including pharmaceuticals, genomics, nanoparticle technologies, diagnostic algorithms, and medical devices. Exemplary biologics technologies managed by Dr. Weiner include modified RNA, antibodies, and engineered cells and enzymes, while exemplary device technologies include ultrasonic implantable devices, neurostimulators, and 3D printers. He also has significant experience managing the evolving legal landscape impacting today’s most challenging patent issues facing medical diagnostics and computational biology.He has managed patent portfolios and navigated IP due diligence for companies of all sizes, including startup companies and larger enterprise companies. In 2020, Dr. Weiner advised on a patent portfolio for implantable device company through acquisition in a deal valued at over $400 million.Dr. Weiner received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law where he was the Senior Articles Editor for the Berkeley Technology Law Journal. Prior to law school, he received his Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, where his doctoral research focused on biomolecule structure, protein dynamics, and protein-small molecule interactions.

Ethan Weiner

Dr. Chapman provides patent and intellectual property services to clients on pharmaceutical, chemistry, biotechnology, and medical device matters.He is experienced in drafting patent applications, proactively prosecuting domestic and foreign patent applications, and assisting with due diligence and freedom-to-operate assessments. Dr. Chapman is committed to providing responsive client service utilizing the firm’s collective legal and scientific capabilities. Since joining the firm in 2013, he has worked with a variety of clients including startup biotechnology, chemistry, and medical device companies; large pharmaceutical companies; academic institutions; and independent inventors. Dr. Chapman’s scientific education includes studies in medicinal chemistry, proteomics, mass spectrometry instrumentation and application, biochemistry, pharmacology, molecular biology, and chemistry. His technical background also includes training and research conducted at: the David R. Goodlett Laboratory (utilized mass spectrometry instrumentation to identify novel protein pathway responses and protein post-translational modifications); Amgen (utilized mass spectrometry instrumentation to study antibody-drug conjugates); and the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center (studied protein adduction by environmental toxicants).He is admitted to practice in California and before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

John Chapman

Shannon Reaney, Ph.D., is a seasoned patent attorney with over 20 years of experience specializing in life sciences intellectual property law. As chair of the firm’s 100+ person Patent Strategy + Prosecution practice and co-chair of the cross-disciplinary Intellectual Property Group, Shannon provides strategic patent counsel to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, cosmetics, and agricultural companies worldwide. She excels in patent portfolio development, prosecution, and management, helping innovators protect and maximize the value of their intellectual property assets.Shannon’s advanced scientific training and extensive legal experience enable her to deliver comprehensive patent strategy and prosecution services across a broad spectrum of life sciences technologies, including:<ul><li>Pre-clinical and clinical-stage therapeutics, including small molecules, siRNA, peptide therapeutics, conjugates, blood-based therapies, and related diagnostics, pharmaceutical formulations, and methods of use.</li><li>Nanotechnology.</li><li>Skin care technology and topical formulations.</li><li>Agricultural technologies.</li></ul>In addition to her extensive experience in patent strategy and prosecution, Shannon is highly regarded for her work in:<ul><li>Patent term extensions & lifecycle management for approved drugs and biologics.</li><li>IP risk mitigation, pre-litigation portfolio assessments, and competitor IP evaluation.</li><li>Due diligence and strategic counseling for business transactions including financings and M&A.</li></ul>Shannon received her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where her doctoral research concentrated on synthetic organic methodology and the use of lithium aminoborohydrides in novel hydride and amine transfer reactions. She received her B.A. in biochemistry from Occidental College, where she conducted undergraduate research investigating psoralen-DNA intercalation.Shannon has authored several first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals and presented her research at major conferences, including those sponsored by the American Chemical Society and the IUPAC World Chemistry Congress.

Shannon Reaney

Alex Yap co-chairs the firm’s Post-Grant Strategy + Disputes practice and is a member of Morrison Foerster’s IP Litigation practice. As a former administrative patent law judge at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), he helps clients navigate post-grant adversarial proceedings before the PTAB. He focuses his practice on America Invents Act trials before the PTAB, as well as IP litigation matters.Prior to rejoining the firm, Alex served as an administrative patent judge at the USPTO in San Jose, California. In that capacity, he presided over more than 200 ex parte appeals, inter partes reviews, and covered business method patent proceedings.Utilizing his electrical and computer engineering degrees and experience from senior engineering roles, Alex spent 11 years at MoFo advising technology clients on patent litigations. During that time, he was involved in more than 30 USPTO reexamination/review proceedings and obtained cancellations of asserted claims in numerous cases.Prior to becoming a lawyer, Alex spent more than four years as a circuit design engineer for Freescale (formerly Motorola, Inc.) and Analog Devices, Inc., designing embedded non-volatile (flash) memories and asymmetric digital subscriber line chipsets. During that time, he developed extensive expertise in computer hardware and software architecture, communication systems, digital and analog circuit design, and digital signal processing. He has published numerous technical articles in trade journals and is an inventor on multiple U.S. patents.Alex received his B.S. and M.S. in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1993 and 1998, respectively, and his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2005. He was an editor of The Minnesota Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif.Alex is a member of the California State Bar and is registered to practice before the USPTO. He is also a member of the American Association of Patent Judges.

Alex Yap

Jim Ryan is a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Emerging Company + Venture Capital Group based in Palo Alto. He advises high-growth technology and life sciences companies, venture capital and growth funds, and corporate venture capital and other strategic investors.Jim’s work includes navigating domestic and cross-border venture capital and growth financings, secondaries and tender offers, recapitalizations, joint ventures, carve-outs and spinoffs, and mergers and acquisitions. He has particular experience in large complex financings and has advised companies and investors on dozens of venture capital and growth financings in which $100 million to over $1 billion were raised along with dozens more in the $25 million to $100 million range.His clients span a variety of technologies and industries including artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous and other software-defined vehicles, industrial tech, cloud computing and data center hardware and software, fintech and digital assets, SaaS, biotech, and medical devices.Beyond transactions, Jim writes and speaks on practical issues that shape venture capital-backed companies and boardrooms. He serves as the startup columnist for The Journal of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & Law and is the lead editor of MoFo’s “<a href="https://scaleup.mofo.com/guidance">Ask a MoFo</a>” series, where he translates board governance, deal mechanics, and venture structures into actionable guidance for founders and investors.Jim was recognized as a 2026 Rising Star by Venture Capital Journal.He earned his J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law, where he served on the Santa Clara Law Review and published articles on cloud computing regulation. He received a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Jim Ryan

Dr. Emily Roberts is a patent attorney focusing on patent preparation, prosecution, and counseling in the areas of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, chemistry, and materials. She advises a diverse client base, including individual inventors, startups, emerging companies, and multinational pharmaceutical organizations, on building and protecting high-value patent portfolios.Emily has extensive experience managing U.S. and international patent portfolios. She regularly conducts freedom-to-operate, patentability, and due diligence analyses. Emily is skilled in patent term extension applications and patent term analyses. She also has experience with post-grant procedures, including reissue applications, ex parte reexamination, and inter partes review proceedings.Her patent and research experience spans a wide range of technologies, including small molecule pharmaceuticals, cannabinoids, nutraceuticals, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), pharmaceutical formulations, methods of treatment, medical devices, microfluidics, nanoparticles, energy conversion catalysts, biofuels, and renewable energy materials and processes related to carbon capture and conversion.Emily received her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. While in law school, Emily was a production editor for the Berkeley Technology Law Journal and president of the Patent Law Society. She also earned a Law & Technology Certificate from the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology and was part of a team that received first place in the USPTO National Patent Drafting Competition.Emily holds a Ph.D. in materials chemistry from the University of Southern California, where her research focused on sustainable synthesis of nanoparticle catalysts for renewable energy applications and earned the ACS and NIST Kenneth G. Hancock Memorial Award in Green Chemistry. She has authored multiple first-author publications and presented at major scientific conferences, including the American Chemical Society and the International Materials Research Conference. She received her B.S. in chemistry from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she conducted organic methodology research.

Protecting Innovation: Life Sciences IP Seminar Series

16 Oct 2025 - 20 Nov 2025