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USDA APHIS BRS Promises Continued Efficiency

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The Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) held its annual...

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We are Morrison Foerster — a global firm of exceptional credentials. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, investment banks, and Fortune 100, technology, and life sciences companies. Our lawyers are committed to achieving innovative and business-minded results for our clients, while preserving the differences that make us stronger.Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

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The Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) held its annual stakeholders meeting on February 26, 2026. While the annual event is typically held in November, the regularly scheduled meeting was delayed due to the government shutdown at the end of 2025. Highlights from the meeting include the following.Read the full <a href="https://lifesciences.mofo.com/topics/usda-aphis-brs-promises-continued-efficiency" target="_blank">blog post</a>.

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Dr. Deborah Pohlmann focuses on patent preparation and prosecution, specializing in biology.Prior to joining the firm, Deborah earned her Ph.D. in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she studied the interplay between gene regulation and epigenetics in the model plant species Arabidopsis in Dr. Mary Gehring’s lab. She used CRISPR-based mutagenesis to create deletions in the endogenous chromosomes of Arabidopsis in order to identify DNA regions that regulate transcription of the DNA demethylase ROS1, and characterized flowering time and fertility defects in quadruple demethylase mutant plants.Deborah earned her B.S. in biology from the University of Richmond, where she worked on the Porifera Tree of Life (PorToL) project and used molecular DNA techniques and phylogenetics to evaluate evolutionary relationships between families of Porifera.

Deborah Pohlmann

Patent Agent

Ralph McNeilage is a patent agent in the Boston office of Morrison Foerster. His practice focuses on patent prosecution and IP due diligence, with an emphasis on plant biology, biochemistry, and biotechnology.With extensive research experience in protein biology, organelle function, and membrane biophysics, Ralph’s doctoral research at UC Davis focused on protein transport mechanisms in plant cells, work that has been published in leading scientific journals including The Plant Cell.Before joining the firm, Ralph served as a science editor at a scientific editing firm, where he provided feedback and analysis on scientific manuscripts across diverse technical fields. He also taught high school chemistry from the introductory to the advanced placement level for six years, developing strong skills in communicating complex scientific concepts to varied audiences.Ralph’s technical background spans biochemistry, biophysics, plant biology, and protein chemistry. He has mentored undergraduate and high school researchers in laboratory techniques, data analysis, and scientific writing.Ralph earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of California, Davis, and his B.S. in honors biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, graduating magna cum laude.

Ralph McNeilage

Meghan J. Brady is a Scientific Analyst at Morrison Foerster, where she focuses on patent drafting and prosecution in areas related to plant biology, agricultural biotechnology, and genetics.Meghan brings extensive technical expertise in molecular genetics, bioinformatics, and genome annotation. Her research background includes developing computational methods for detecting structural variants in genome sequencing data and using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to resolve gene function. She has hands-on experience with the agricultural product development pipeline through her work at leading agricultural biotechnology companies, where she designed bioinformatics software for genome annotation and conducted expression and pan-genomic analyses to identify genes with direct application to crop improvement.Before joining Morrison Foerster, Meghan worked in the agricultural biotechnology sector, where she developed and deployed a fully automated genome annotation pipeline and gained comprehensive insight into the research-to-product process in agricultural innovation. She also gained exposure to regulatory frameworks relevant to agricultural biotechnology through instruction with regulatory affairs leadership.Meghan earned her Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Georgia and holds a B.S. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Gettysburg College.

Meghan Brady

Scientific Analyst

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

Partner

Brian P. Sylvester is a partner in our FDA & Healthcare Regulatory and Compliance Group. He is the head of Food Regulatory and an influential thought leader and practitioner in the field of food regulation.Brian counsels clients across the full life cycle of regulated products, serving global brands, startups, life sciences companies, investors, and trade associations. He has been recognized by a number of legal industry awards and publications such as Chambers USA, Bloomberg Law, and The National Law Journal. Chambers USA reports that Brian “is widely noted as an expert in regulatory issues relating to novel food technologies, with significant experience advising on USDA and FDA regulations.”Brian focuses his practice on Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulated products, with an emphasis on the food and beverage sector. He additionally counsels early-stage, growth, and global clients on all aspects of cosmetics, over the counter (OTC) drugs, medical devices, consumer products, and a range of Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regulated commodities. Across all these regulated product categories, his work spans enforcement actions, audits and investigations, regulatory compliance, labeling and advertising, import and export, due diligence, consumer litigation, comment preparation, public policy advocacy at the federal and state levels, and new product development.In the area of food and beverage, Brian develops regulatory strategies to commercialize a range of food tech innovations, including transgenic crops and alternative proteins, such as cultivated meat and fermentation-derived food ingredients, among others. As a former regulator at USDA, he adeptly counsels clients on strategic considerations around engagement with and advocacy before USDA and FDA on numerous complex issues, including those of first impression.Brian is an author and frequent speaker at industry-leading events in the United States, the European Union, China, Israel, and other parts of the world. He is regularly called upon to offer insights on trending legal issues by preeminent industry and global publications.