GSAS Harvard Biotech Club and Morrison & Foerster’s New Course
- MoFo & GSAS Harvard Biotech Club’s new course, “ Legal Topics for Scientists, Entrepreneurs, and Start Ups ,” started on November 11, with more than 100 life sciences graduate students, post-docs, and industry professionals. The Harvard Biotech Club is a student organization that seeks to... ›
Life Sciences Startup: Top Things to Keep in Mind About Formation and License Agreements
By: Steve Rowles, Matt Karlyn and Michael Ward Ph.D.
During our fifth Patent Law Course session offered by Morrison & Foerster and GSAS Harvard Biotech Club , Steve Rowles, firmwide co-chair of the Emerging Companies & Venture Capital Group , chair of MoFo’s San Diego Corporate Group, and managing partner of the San... ›Bill Proposes Continuation of FDA Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Vouchers
Morrison & Foerster Research Analyst Christine Lentz contributed to the writing of this article. The House of Representatives recently passed a proposed bill that encourages treatments for rare pediatric diseases by prolonging the authority of Health and Human Services to issue priority review vouchers.... ›Navigating The CRISPR Patent Landscape and Understanding The FDA and its Process
By: Michael Ward Ph.D.
“What can be a better day to talk about the complex CRISPR/Cas9 patent landscape than the big day that the Nobel Prize was awarded to pioneers of this revolutionary technology? The story of the continuing dispute on the fundamental CRISPR/Cas9 patents offers a lot... ›Special Patents and AI with Janet Xiao and Anna Yuan
By: Janet Xiao Ph.D., Anna Yuan and Michael Ward Ph.D.
In this third installment of a six-part Patent Law Course offered by Morrison & Foerster and GSAS Harvard Biotech Club , MoFo partner and head of the firm’s China Life Sciences Group Janet Xiao taught a class on the value, protection, and legal issues involved... ›GSAS Harvard Biotech Club and Morrison & Foerster’s Patent Course Off to a Roaring Start!
By: Michael Ward Ph.D., Matt Karlyn, Janet Xiao Ph.D., Matthew A. Chivvis, Jie Zhou Ph.D., Anna Yuan and Jillian A. Pesin-Fulop Ph.D.
More than 120 life sciences graduate students, post-docs and industry professionals attended the first class of a six part Patent Law Course offered by Morrison & Foerster and the GSAS Harvard Biotech Club on September 16, 2020. The Harvard Biotech Club is a student... ›First Decisions Limit PREP Act Immunity in Coronavirus Context
By: Erin M. Bosman and Julie Y. Park
When we discussed the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act earlier this year, we predicted that its tort liability protections would reassure manufacturers and distributors of novel COVID-19 drugs and medical products. So far, so good: the first court decisions interpreting PREP Act... ›Pediatric Exclusivity for Biologics
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s six-month pediatric exclusivity rules that apply to drugs also largely apply to biologics (albeit with certain distinctions), which may become a valuable life cycle management strategy for biopharmaceutical companies (hereinafter “Sponsors”) in addition to patent exclusionary rights. At... ›Personalized Medicine Claims Get a Boost under New MPEP Revision
By: Meghan McLean Poon Ph.D.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published the latest revision to its Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP) on June 30, 2020. According to the Executive Summary, in this revision, nearly all of the 27 chapters have been updated to incorporate new... ›Casting a New Light on Diagnostic Patents: “Methods of Preparation” Patent-Eligible
By: Karen G Potter Ph.D.
The ability of life sciences companies to rely on patent protection for diagnostic methods has been eroded over the last ten years, although recent court decisions evidence a rebuilding framework. While courts have consistently invalidated diagnostic methods as lacking patent eligibility, claims re-framed as... ›