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Morrison Foerster’s Patent Strategy + Prosecution Practice Ranked Band 1 for the Fifth Consecutive Year in the Chambers USA 2024

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Congratulations to Morrison Foerster’s Patent Strategy + Prosecution Practice for being recognized once again by Chambers USA as Band 1 for Patent Prosecution (California). 

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Congratulations to Morrison Foerster’s Patent Strategy + Prosecution Practice for being recognized once again by Chambers USA as Band 1 for Patent Prosecution (California). This marks the fifth consecutive year that the firm has achieved this top ranking in the category.Chambers’ rankings further highlight MoFo’s exceptional strength in this area, with four lawyers from the firm’s renowned Patent Strategy + Prosecution Group receiving individual recognitions. These include:<ul><li>Catherine Polizzi, partner in MoFo’s Palo Alto office, received a Band 1 ranking in the California Patent Prosecution category for the third consecutive year. Clients recognized Catherine as “a real leader,” and highlighted that “she is exceptionally experienced, strong and knowledgeable.” Catherine was also ranked Band 1 in California Life Sciences and Band 2 for Life Sciences Nationwide.</li></ul><ul><li>Michael Ward, Co-Chair of MoFo’s Intellectual Property, Patent Strategy + Prosecution, Life Sciences + Healthcare, and Food + Agriculture practices continues to be ranked among the leading practitioners in the California Patent Prosecution category. Clients enthused that “Mike Ward has been pivotal in shaping our patent strategy. His profound insight and ability to transform our innovative concepts into patentable assets is commendable.”</li></ul><ul><li> Janet Xiao, partner in MoFo’s Palo Alto office, was again recognized in the California Patent Prosecution category. Clients reported that “Janet is very knowledgeable and understands the science behind our work.” Janet is also ranked in California Life Sciences.</li></ul><ul><li>Jie Zhou, partner in MoFo’s San Francisco office, has been recognized by Chambers for the first time in the California Patent Prosecution category. Clients praised Jie as “a brilliant patent attorney who is very good at strategy and comes up with novel ideas,” and noted that “the level of advice that she provides is outstanding.”</li></ul>Morrison Foerster boasts a distinguished patent practice, recognized for its extensive experience and high regard in the industry. The firm employs over 100 professionals, including attorneys, patent agents, and analysts, with more than 80 holding Ph.D. degrees. We provide a comprehensive suite of patent prosecution and strategic counseling services, catering to clients in the life sciences, food and agriculture, and technology industries.To view the complete list of Morrison Foerster’s rankings in the 2024 edition of Chambers USA, please visit the publication’s <a href="https://chambers.com/law-firm/morrison-foerster-usa-5:7854" target="_blank">website</a>.

Morrison Foerster’s Patent Strategy + Prosecution Practice Ranked Band 1 for the Fifth Consecutive Year in the Chambers USA 2024

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Michael (Mike) Ward is co-chair of the firm's Life Sciences + Healthcare Group and Food + Agriculture Group.Life SciencesFor his work across the life sciences sector, Mike was named San Francisco Biotechnology Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers in America in 2020 and is recommended for his patent strategy and prosecution practice in LMG Life Sciences. He also led the team that was named 2022 Patent Management and Strategy Firm of the Year at the 2022 LMG Life Sciences Americas Awards.Food + AgricultureRecognized as “one of the world’s foremost plant and agriculture IP lawyers,” Mike manages a wide range of intellectual property issues related to plants and plant products. He and his team advise clients on plant and plant utility patents; licensing agreements for plant IP; litigation in U.S. state and federal court and before the International Trade Commission; and regulatory approvals from the USDA, FDA, and EPA for gene edited and genetically engineered plants.Patent Strategy + ProsecutionMike is a Legal 500 US Hall of Fame lawyer for patent prosecution and is consistently named one of the leading IP lawyers by Managing Intellectual Property, Chambers USA and Chambers Global, and IAM Patent 1000.Mike works closely with many clients to develop and manage their patent portfolios. He helps clients identify, monitor, and assess the infringement risks of third-party patents. He also assists clients in preparing both offensive and defensive patent portfolios, with a particular emphasis on drafting patent applications that will be utilized in licensing and in litigation efforts.IP Due DiligenceFor venture capitalists seeking to invest in early- and mid-stage companies, underwriters involved in IPOs, and companies seeking to acquire or merge with other companies, Mike has managed extensive IP diligence. His work includes assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of patent portfolios, evaluation of freedom to operate issues, and strategic recommendations for maximizing the value of patent portfolios going forward.Mike also works closely with the IP Litigation Group on various litigation matters including patent interferences to determine the first-to-invent and patent re-examination work and actively participates in both mediation and arbitration proceedings on behalf of clients in the life sciences and food and agriculture areas.He is a frequent lecturer and speaker. Among numerous speaking engagements, Mike is the IP instructor at the UC Davis Licensing Academy and founded Morrison Foerster’s annual Harvard Biotechnology Club Fall Patent Law Course.Mike holds a Ph.D. in plant physiology (biochemistry) and an M.S. in agronomy from the University of California, Davis; a B.S. in biology from the University of California, Berkeley; and a J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law. He was a post-doctoral fellow in plant molecular biology at the Harvard Medical School and the Department of Molecular Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he worked on the Arabidopsis genome project.

Michael Ward

Partner

Catherine Polizzi, known as a pioneer in Patent Prosecution + Strategy law, is a deeply experienced lawyer who is highly regarded by clients and competitors alike. Her intellectual versatility combined with incisive, pragmatic counseling and business acumen is the hallmark of her practice. Catherine has the unique experience of working with both startups and emerging companies as well as well‑known, established global companies through the challenging process of obtaining patents and provides strategic, effective portfolio counseling and management, as well as strategic advice surrounding freedom of operation and other forms of IP assessment. She develops valuable, strategic portfolios around breakthrough therapies in a variety of areas, including cancer, cancer immunotherapy, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases, infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.She also has significant experience in a wide spectrum of technology areas, including biologics such as antibodies and polypeptides; nucleic acids; precision medicine including precision oncology; diagnostics; cell therapy including T cell and NK cell technologies, such as chimeric antigen receptors; drug formulation technologies; drug delivery technologies such as nanotechnologies; therapeutic and prophylactic vaccines; microfluidics; drug screening systems; AI solutions for life sciences including drug discovery and development platforms; polynucleotide therapeutics such as siRNA; amplification and detection technologies; genetic screening; sequencing technologies including next-generation sequencing; regenerative medicine; spectroscopy; surgical imaging technologies; and organic chemistry including small molecule drugs.Catherine’s unique background, ability to integrate IP with a given business model to translate into meaningful valuation, risk assessment and advice, and highly effective communication skills in critical settings, such as R&D, all phases of product development, and investment contexts, enable her to provide effective, creative solutions to the significant challenges often faced by clients. Catherine is an acquisition and value enhancement driver as well, a critical conduit for companies as they grow from startup through IPO, exit, and beyond.IP Leadership for Transactions, Financings, and Acquisitions. Catherine’s practice also includes due diligence evaluation and counseling in the context of venture investment assessments and in connection with public and private financing, spin‑offs, partnerships, and mergers and acquisitions, where her IP strategies have helped drive the value of multibillion-dollar deals.Strategist in Legal Challenges and a Key Member of Litigation Teams. In addition to helping create value and commercialize her clients’ technologies, Catherine devises strategies and defenses to fortify their patents in the event of legal challenges by competitors. She renders advice on all aspects of patent positioning, including opinions on patentability, validity, freedom of operation, infringement, and competitor IP evaluation. She also works in the area of third-party challenges, such as inter partes review (IPR) and oppositions.A Recognized Leader. Catherine formerly served as the chair of the firm’s Patent Prosecution & Counseling Group and co-chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Group. Chambers USA noted that Catherine “maintains a strong reputation for her capabilities advising biotechnology clients on portfolio management and other IP matters,” while clients note that she is “a great strategic thinker, great at flagging the high-level questions and brings a good business perspective” and praise her for “bring[ing] a good business perspective to IP efforts which is not always evident with other IP attorneys.” Catherine has also received many awards and accolades throughout her career, including the following:<ul><li>Ranked in four different Chambers categories for IP and Life Sciences 2011–2025</li><li>Recognized as a Hall of Fame lawyer by LMG Life Sciences for Patent Prosecution and Patent Strategy & Management since 2018</li><li>Recognized as Patent Star by Managing IP for 2025</li><li>Recommended as a leading lawyer by The Legal 500 U.S. for 2012–2024</li><li>Recognized among World’s Leading Patent Practitioners by IAM Patent 1000 for 2014–2024</li><li>Recognized as a Best Lawyer in Biotechnology and Life Sciences by Best Lawyers for 2023 and 2024</li><li>Selected as one of the Top 100 Intellectual Property Lawyers in California by The Daily Journal for 2009–2022</li></ul><h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>Genentech, the world’s first and most successful biotechnology company, has relied on Catherine’s strategic patent counseling and prosecution services for its most difficult and challenging patent matters for nearly 15 years. Her work involves developing overall patent strategy, patent application drafting, and prosecution for key technologies. Her high-value work for Genentech also includes strategic assessment of key and novel technologies, as well as patent litigation support and advisement.</li><li>10x Genomics, a biotechnology company developing forefront gene sequencing technology used in scientific research, turns to Catherine to serve as lead patent counsel related to in situ and spatial assay platforms for cellular and subcellular identification of cell and biomarker diversity in tissues, including gene expression, gene sequencing, RNA profiling, and related reagents, panels, hardware, and software analysis tools.</li><li>Codexis, a biotechnology company that specializes in enzyme engineering, focusing on improving sustainability and cost-efficiency of manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry, including in the manufacture of oligonucleotides and small molecule drugs, relies on Catherine for developing Codexis’s complex IP strategy. She has provided critical advice in management of their intellectual property portfolio, including strategic consideration of patent application filings, and patent risks to their planned commercial operations, including freedom to operate.</li><li>Juno Therapeutics has relied on Catherine for patent strategy and prosecution from its very beginning. Juno is one of the best-funded startups in biotechnology history. It went on to become a publicly traded company in 2014 and ultimately was acquired by Celgene in 2018 for $9 billion; the strength of the patent portfolio that Catherine crafted helped drive the valuation for the deal. She led the IP team on the acquisition.</li><li>Celgene calls on Catherine for its patent strategy, drafting, and IP due diligence matters. She worked with Abraxis BioScience for many years in a similar capacity to help develop their IP position for the highly successful cancer drug, Abraxane. Catherine then counseled the company through its $2.9 billion acquisition by Celgene Corporation, including providing significant IP strategy and due diligence counseling. This IP platform was a major component of the valuation of the company.</li><li>Dewpoint Therapeutics engaged Catherine to lead its patent strategy from the very beginning. Dewpoint is on the cutting edge of drug discovery, with technology relating to condensate biology, a new and paradigm‑shift area of drug development. Catherine led the IP strategy and due diligence for its partnership with Bayer to research new treatments for cardiovascular and gynecological diseases. The work that Dewpoint is doing is seen as a significant move forward in the biopharma industry and opens the door to many potential new discoveries in biology through biomolecular condensates. For example, in January 2021, Dewpoint teamed up with Pfizer to develop new treatments for a rare kind of muscular dystrophy. In July 2020, Dewpoint announced its collaboration with Merck to evaluate a novel approach for the treatment of HIV.</li><li>Frontier Medicines, a clinical-stage precision medicine company advancing treatments for genetically defined patient populations in oncology and immunology, has entrusted all aspects of patent strategy and portfolio development for its pipeline of small molecule therapeutics to Catherine.</li><li>Insitro, a multibillion-dollar startup pharmaceutical drug company, turned to Catherine to develop its global IP strategy. The company is at the forefront of advancing AI and data-driven drug discovery and development, and trusted Catherine to manage the company’s portfolio.</li><li>Sonoma Biotherapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that is developing cell therapies that use engineered regulatory T cell therapies to treat serious autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, called on Catherine to direct its patent strategy and development.</li><li>Additional representative clients include clinical-stage and startup companies, such Aimmune Therapeutics, Alpine Immune Sciences, Botanical Solution, Cartography Biosciences, CohBar, Corner Therapeutics, Cytokinetics, Dynavax Technologies, Enveda Therapeutics, Frazier Life Sciences, GOA Therapeutics, Immunome, Indapta Therapeutics, Larkspur Biosciences, Lyndra Therapeutics, Maze Therapeutics, Myst Therapeutics, Nanoprobes, Ollin Biosciences, Passkey Therapeutics, Prelude Therapeutics, Sana Biotechnology, Sangamo Therapeutics, Seagen (formerly Seattle Genetics), Sirenas, Syntis Bio, Tacit Therapeutics, TARIS Biomedical, The Immune Co., Turnstone Biologics, and Volastra Therapeutics.</li></ul><h5>Aided by Catherine’s leadership and guidance developing IP protection for high-value technology, the following companies were involved in the following high-value transactions:</h5><ul><li>The $4.9 billion cash acquisition of client Alpine Immune Science by Vertex Pharmaceuticals.</li><li>Alpine Immune Sciences’ $48 million Series A financing and subsequent $90 million merger with Nivalis Therapeutics, resulting in a publicly traded company, as well as Alpine Immune Sciences’ $91 million private placement.</li><li>The $2.6 billion acquisition of client Aimmune Therapeutics by Nestlé Health Science.</li><li>The $74 billion acquisition of Celgene Corporation by Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS).</li><li>The $1.1 billion development collaboration with BMS on behalf of Volastra Therapeutics, which was recognized as one of the most promising early-stage biotechnology companies in the industry by Fierce Biotech’s 2022 Fierce 15, to discover, develop, and commercialize new oncology medicines.</li><li>Celgene Corporation’s $9 billion acquisition of client Juno Therapeutics and earlier $2.9 billion acquisition of client Abraxis BioScience.</li><li>Dewpoint Therapeutics’ $239 million collaboration with Pfizer for the development of new treatments for a rare kind of muscular dystrophy, the $305 million collaboration with Merck on a novel approach for the treatment of HIV, and the up-to-$100 million partnership with Bayer to research new treatments for cardiovascular and gynecological diseases.</li><li>Dewpoint Therapeutics’ partnership with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, with a deal value up to $480 million and $150 million Series C financing, $77 million Series B financing, and $60 million Series A financing.</li><li>Enveda Therapeutics Inc.’s $130 million raised in Series C financing.</li><li>Frontier Medicines’ $55 million collaboration with AbbVie to develop molecules against hard-to-drug targets.</li><li>Frontier Medicines’ $80 million Series C financing, $88.5 million Series B financing, and Series A Preferred Stock financing of $67 million.</li><li>Indapta Therapeutics’ $22.5 million financing to advance clinical trials of innovative cancer and autoimmune treatments and $50 million Series A financing.</li><li>Johnson & Johnson’s acquisition of TARIS Biomedical, with a focus on transforming the treatment of bladder cancer.</li><li>Lyndra Therapeutics’ $60.5 million Series C financing and $55 million Series B financing.</li><li>Myriad Genetics’ $375 million acquisition of Counsyl, Inc.</li><li>Syntis Bio’s $33 million Series A financing.</li><li>Sonoma Biotherapeutics’ collaboration with Regeneron worth over $100 million.</li><li>The $14 billion acquisition of client Medivation by Pfizer, as well as the previous $225 million Pfizer investment in Medivation.</li><li>The $43 billion acquisition of client Seagen by Pfizer.</li><li>Turnstone Biologics’ acquisition of Myst Therapeutics.</li></ul>

Catherine Polizzi

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

Dr. Jie Zhou is a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Life Sciences Group. Her practice focuses on patent prosecution and counseling clients in the areas of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. She has significant experience developing worldwide patent portfolios for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to multinational companies. She also advises clients on IP management and strategic portfolio planning.Because of her extensive experience in patent prosecution and counseling, as well as her deep knowledge and hands-on experience in bioscience and other technologies, companies often rely on Dr. Zhou for their most difficult and challenging patent work, which involves: developing overall patent strategy to support their business objectives; patent application drafting; and prosecution of high value patent portfolios. Dr. Zhou has successfully obtained patent coverage for many therapeutic candidates that are in early development or in various phases of FDA approval.Dr. Zhou has significant experience in developing patent strategies and portfolios around breakthrough technologies in a wide spectrum of areas, including biologics (such as therapeutic antibodies, polypeptides, and enzymes), nucleic acids (such as RNAi), small molecule therapeutics, drug formulation technologies, gene therapy, personalized medicine, diagnostics, vaccines, biologics manufacturing processes, nanotechnologies, and nutraceuticals. Her strong scientific background, combined with skills to integrate IP with business objectives, allow Dr. Zhou to provide effective, creative solutions to IP challenges often faced by clients. Her clients include Genentech, Sanofi, Seagen, Alector, ALX Oncology, Allakos, Adverum Biotechnologies, Foundation Medicine, Adagene, Enliven Therapeutics, and Attralus.Dr. Zhou’s practice also includes IP due diligence review for business transactions, such as venture capital investments, public financings, and mergers and acquisitions. She prepares opinions on patentability, freedom-to-operate, and invalidity, and advises clients on marketing clearance of biologics and pharmaceutical products. She advises IP risks and provides strategic guidance for companies and investors.Dr. Zhou has been recognized by several publications including the Daily Journal as one of the Top Intellectual Property Attorneys in California.

Jie Zhou

Patent Strategy + Prosecution