Some of the most dynamic biotech startups come to Karl for a unique level of in-depth collaboration and creativity.

His particular expertise lies in developing patent portfolios that increase valuations. This often entails working closely with senior management and inventors to exploit the full value and breadth of a company’s innovations. In addition to innovative biotech firms, Mr. Bozicevic, also represents major universities and research institutions.

Karl’s long career includes a number of significant accomplishments. He created a portfolio of transgenic animal and prion assay methodology patents that were Nobel Prize winning inventions (www.prionpatents.com). Karl also created a patent portfolio covering the fluid flow and small particle formation methodology for an award-winning Spanish physicist, during which he met with the King of Spain (www.drugdeliverypatents.com). In addition, Karl enabled Aradigm Corporation to secure significant financing by creating and promoting the company’s drug delivery technology patent portfolio.

Mr. Bozicevic has an LLM in Intellectual Property Law in addition to a J.D. He received his LLM from George Washington University studying under Professor Irving Kayton. Karl received his J.D. from Nova University. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Tulane University.

Following completion of his studies in the U.S., Karl practiced patent law in Tokyo, Japan for over two years, and has lectured on patent law in the U.S. and Japan. He is also a visiting professor at Tokyo Medical and Dental University. His published works include legal papers in English and Japanese, which can be found at www.karlbozicevicpublications.com, and a fiction novel found at www.cardinalhoax.com.

Bret is a founding partner of Bozicevic, Field & Francis LLP. Over his two decades of practice, Bret has been instrumental in building the intellectual property portfolios of both start-up and large multi-national corporations, as well as academic institutions.

His experience of having worked as both outside and in-house counsel enables Bret to be highly cognizant of the challenges that his clients face in creating and managing their intellectual property portfolios. Being a member of the Board of Directors for an emerging consumer product and health care corporation affords him unique insight into how intellectual property strategically impacts a company’s business plan and overall valuation. Several of the patents that Bret has obtained for his clients have been litigated, giving him the experience needed to obtain enforceable proprietary rights for his clients.

Bret’s clients look to him for advice regarding a diverse array of technologies, including biotechnology, drug delivery systems, medical devices, analytical devices, diagnostics and chemistry. He assists his clients in patent procurement, freedom to operate and intellectual property due diligence analyses, and trademark registration.

His expertise in the intellectual property development and procurement process has led him to be invited to speak at Stanford University on topics such as intellectual property and obtaining patents for start-ups.

Bret received an A.B. in Biochemistry from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

As a founding partner of Bozicevic, Field & Francis LLP, Carol brings a wealth of experience to clients at the cutting edge of life science fields—from antibody therapies and pharmaceutical formulations to prodrugs and personalized medicine.

Carol provides strategic counseling to build patent assets for clients with diverse needs, including leading companies and research institutions. She also applies her strategic counseling skills to help her clients assess the strength of patent assets in the context of a potential license or acquisition, as well as to assess and navigate the competitive patent landscape. Her experience includes due diligence evaluation and counseling in the context of venture investment assessments, as well as in connection with public and private financing, spin-offs, partnerships, and mergers and acquisitions. She has experience as counsel for companies that are acquisition targets, as well as counsel for the acquiring company, potential partner, or potential investor.

Carol’s practice areas span patent portfolio management, patent procurement, due diligence review, and freedom to operate analyses as well as supporting infringement and validity opinions. Her experience also includes coordination of foreign patent procurement efforts, with direct experience in oral hearings, oppositions and appeals to the Technical Board at the European Patent Office. In addition to coordinating foreign patent strategies for her domestic clients, Carol also coordinates local U.S. patent strategies for foreign clients.

Carol received a J.D. with Distinction from Stanford University, a Ph.D. from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry with Honors from the University of Missouri, Columbia. Her scientific research and findings while a Ph.D. candidate were published as a cover article in Nature. Carol has also presented her work at various conferences in the U.S. and abroad, including the Gordon Conference on Microbial Toxins and Pathogenesis, and a European Molecular Biology Organization conference in Switzerland.

During the course of her legal training at Stanford Law School, Carol was a co-founder of the Stanford Technology Law Review­—Stanford’s first Internet-based law review.

Edward offers clients extensive expertise in medical devices and biotechnology.

Edward has worked with some of the world’s leading companies in these fields to build intellectual property portfolios that can be used offensively and defensively to protect or achieve a competitive advantage. Toward the same end, he works with these companies to analyze competitors’ portfolios and product strategies.

Edward’s practice areas include patent prosecution, portfolio management, infringement and validity opinions, and due diligence reviews. His experience includes drafting and prosecuting numerous U.S. utility and design patents as well as coordinating foreign patent filings for his clients.

Another large aspect of Edward’s practice is post-grant proceedings, including reexamination and re-issue of U.S. patents and coordinating numerous oppositions of European patents in front of the Opposition Division of the European Patent Office. In the area of freedom-to-operate analysis, he works with clients during the development of a product to ensure them freedom to operate and to provide a strategy for minimizing risk vis-à-vis competitors’ patent portfolios.

In 2003, Edward received his J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Syracuse Journal of International Law & Commerce and associate editor of the Syracuse Law & Technology Journal. He received first place in the ASCAP Nathan Burkan Memorial Copyright Writing Competition for his article “From Conflict to Confluence: Protection of Databases Containing Genetic Information” (30 SYR. J. I’NTL LAW & COMM. 121. Edward received an M.S. in genetics from Stanford University. He also received a B.S. in microbiology, with an emphasis in genetic engineering, and a B.A. in history of art and architecture from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Edward also currently serves on the Board of Directors of Creativity Explored, a non-profit visual art center where artists with developmental disabilities create, exhibit, and sell art, and is a former president of the San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association.

Rudy’s practice includes patent application drafting and prosecution for a wide range of technologies, including pharmaceuticals, chemistry, medical devices, drug delivery systems, MEMS processes and devices, and biotechnology.

In addition, Rudy counsels clients by providing freedom to operate, patentability and validity opinions of patents. Rudy received his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. During law school, Rudy was a Senior Articles Editor for the Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal and published a note on burgeoning biometric identification technologies (Catching Up to Our Biometric Future: Fourth Amendment Privacy Rights and Biometric Identification Technology, 28 Hastings Comm. & Ent. L.J. 425 (2006). In his first year at Hastings, Rudy received the CALI Award for excellence in Legal Writing and Research and the award for Best Moot Court Brief.

Prior to law school, Rudy worked at Gilead Sciences as a process chemistry research associate, where he synthesized and analyzed reverse transcriptase inhibitors, as well as worked with in-house counsel on freedom to operate and patentability issues.

Rudy completed post-baccalaureate and graduate studies at San Francisco State University, receiving a Masters of Science degree in Chemistry/Biochemistry. During the course of his graduate studies, Rudy gained valuable experience in areas including medicinal chemistry, small molecule organic synthesis, and biochemical assay techniques. Rudy also received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Molecular and Cell Biology with an emphasis in Biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley.

Rudy is admitted to practice in California, and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Michael Rubin, 46, peacefully passed away on February 13, 2021. From the day Michael joined the firm in 2007, his passion for patent law and enthusiastic dedication to the service of clients were in full evidence. An outstanding attorney, he always brought to bear the best he had to offer to his clients, and inspired those with whom he worked to do the same.

Michael always had a warm smile on his face, and a contagiously pleasant attitude. He faced every situation, including his illness, with an imperturbably positive and uplifting approach. Michael diligently served his clients with thoughtfulness and great expertise. And most importantly, he treated everyone with great respect and kindness.

Michael was a valued member of the partnership, as well as a beloved figure in the firm as a whole. We mourn his untimely passing and celebrate his approach to life. His memory will endure in – and inspire – all of us.

Brian’s technical areas of expertise include biotechnology, medical devices, molecular biology, vaccines, pharmaceutical formulations, transgenic plants and animals, and next-generation nucleic acid sequencing systems.

His practice areas include patent application drafting and prosecution, infringement and validity opinions, freedom to operate analysis, and intellectual property due diligence reviews.

Brian received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Upon completion of his undergraduate studies, he earned a Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from Ohio State University. As a graduate student, Brian discovered and characterized a novel gene involved in autosomal recessive hydrocephalus. His work was published in an article entitled Congenital Hydrocephalus in Hy3 Mice is Caused by a Frameshift Mutation in Hydin, a Large Novel Gene, appearing in the May 2003 edition of Human Molecular Genetics. After receiving his Ph.D., Brian worked as a post-doctoral research fellow in the Life Sciences Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. As a post-doctoral scientist, he generated mice carrying a conditional allele of the SatB1 gene, elucidated the expression pattern of SatB1 in the mouse brain, and identified putative SatB1 target genes via cDNA microarray and chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses.

Brian received his J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law. While in law school, Brian was an Articles Editor for the Santa Clara Computer and High Technology Law Journal. He received the Witkin Award for Academic Excellence in Patent Law Practice. Also during law school, Brian co-authored an article entitled The History, Content, Application, and Influence of the Northern District of California’s Patent Local Rules, appearing in Volume 25 of the Santa Clara Computer and High Technology Law Journal.

During his tenure at Bozicevic Field and Francis, James has accumulated extensive expertise in all aspects of patent prosecution at both U.S. and foreign patent offices, including drafting patent applications, responding to Office Actions, conducting interviews and managing portfolios. James’ clients look to him for advice regarding a diverse array of topics, which includes applying his strategic counseling skills to early stage companies that often have unique needs. As a Senior Patent Agent, James’ goal is to provide efficient and cost-effective patent drafting and prosecution services based on a philosophy that getting things right at the beginning of the process makes less work later.

During his tenure at Bozicevic Field and Francis, James has accumulated extensive expertise in all aspects of patent prosecution at both U.S. and foreign patent offices, including drafting patent applications, responding to Office Actions, conducting interviews, appeals, and managing large diverse portfolios. James’ clients look to him for advice regarding a diverse array of topics, which includes applying his strategic counseling skills to early-stage companies that often have unique needs. As a Senior Patent Agent, James’ goal is to provide efficient and cost-effective patent drafting and prosecution services based on a philosophy that getting things right at the beginning of the process makes less work later.

James has broad-based experience in all aspects of biotechnology and life sciences, including cell-based therapies, immunotherapy, spatial analysis, sequencing, genome analysis/genomics, liquid biopsies, epigenetics, general molecular biology, diagnostics, and protein therapeutics. James has a track record of success in creating value for his clients, including drafting around 20 foundational patent applications for start-ups that have since been acquired, gone public or found success in other ways. A sample of the several hundred patents that James has helped to obtain can be found here.

James currently represents a wide range of clients including Stanford University, UCSF, several start-ups and numerous larger established companies.

Prior to joining Bozicevic, Field and Francis, James gained valuable in-house experience as Manager of Intellectual Property at Mendel Biotechnology, Hayward, CA, a position that he held in addition to being a Senior Scientist. During his career as a scientist James worked on a wide variety of subjects, including transposable elements, transcription factors, promoters, seed development and disease resistance. James’ research resulted in authorships of many publications in journals such as Cell, Science, EMBO Journal and Plant Cell.

James has been registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office since 2001.

James received a B.Sc. (with Honors) in Molecular Biology from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the John Innes Institute in Norwich, United Kingdom. James performed post-doctoral studies in genetics and molecular biology in the Department of Plant Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and in Chris Somerville’s laboratory at the Carnegie Institution of Washington at Stanford University.

Paula’s practice focuses on patent application drafting and prosecution in biotechnology and chemical subject areas, including synthetic biology, chemistry, gene therapy, immunology, virology, pharmaceuticals, optogenetics, and life science reagents.

During her research science career, Paula published several scientific articles in journals such as Molecular Immunology, Nucleic Acids Research, The Journal of Immunology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA, Gene, and The Journal of Biological Chemistry.

The following is a representative sampling of issued patents that Paula has prosecuted:

• U.S. Patent No. 9,670,281 (“Binding-triggered transcriptional switches and methods of use thereof”)
• U.S. Patent No. 9,604,073 (“Light-sensitive ion-passing molecules”)
• U.S. Patent No. 9,587,282 (“Adeno-associated virus virions with variant capsid and methods of use thereof”)
• U.S. Patent No. 9,587,020 (“Chimeric antigen receptor and methods of use thereof”)
• U.S. Patent No. 9,562,106 (“Anti-complement C1s antibodies and methods of inhibiting complement C1s activity”)

Paula received a Ph.D. from Columbia University, under the mentorship of Dr. Elvin Kabat. Paula was awarded a Humboldt Fellowship and conducted two years of post-doctoral research with Hans-Georg Zachau at the University of Munich. She subsequently conducted post-doctoral research with Dr. Irving Weissman at Stanford University.

Pamela has in-depth expertise in a variety of biotechnology subject areas, including stem cell biology, gene cloning, molecular structures, human and mouse genomics, antibody production and uses, hematopoiesis, cell separation, devices and methods for cell and biomolecule separation, transgenic and surgical animal models, pharmaceuticals, and formulations.

Pamela’s practice encompasses a wide range of activities, including drafting and prosecuting patent applications in the U.S. and foreign patent offices. She has also successfully appealed numerous cases before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and is familiar with U.S. interference and European Opposition proceedings.

Recent articles of hers have been published in BioVenture View and The Recorder Intellectual Property Supplement, as well as a chapter in “Alternative Careers for Scientists,” an Academic Press book edited by C. Robbins-Roth.

Prior to joining Bozicevic, Field & Francis, Pamela accumulated over five years of valuable patent prosecution experience as a Patent Agent with Flehr, Hohbach, Test, Albritton & Herbert, and later with Fish & Richardson. Over the course of her 20 plus years of intellectual property work, Pamela has been instrumental in obtaining over 300 patents for her clients

Pamela received a Ph.D. from the Stanford University Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology, summa cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to graduate work, she spent several years as a research associate at Genentech, Inc. in the departments of molecular biology and biocatalysis, working on the cloning of novel genes and expression systems in bacteria. During her studies at Stanford in the laboratory of Dr. Irving Weissman, she characterized a protein involved in B cell development and transformation of tumor cells. The results of those research efforts in industry and academia have been published in international peer-reviewed journals.

Pamela began her practice in patent prosecution in 1992, and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Shweta’s practice encompasses the areas of health care products and biotechnology, including stem cell biology, molecular biology, genomics, vaccines, antibody engineering and therapeutics, cell biology, molecular diagnostics, neuroscience, and transgenic animal models.

She has experience in drafting and prosecuting patent applications in the U.S. and foreign patent offices. Shweta has successfully appealed numerous cases before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She is also familiar with European opposition proceedings. Shweta represents a wide range of clients, including academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and health care companies.

Shweta has extensive laboratory experience in a diverse array of techniques, including vector design, protein expression and purification, antibody-based assays, mammalian cell culture, FRET-based high throughput screening, siRNA design and transfection, quantitative RT-PCR, pulse-chase, protein stability analysis, immunohistochemistry, and Drosophila genetics.

Shweta received a B.Sc. (with Honors) in Biochemistry from the University of Delhi, India, an M.Sc. in Biotechnology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, and a Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from Ohio State University. As a post-doctoral fellow, Shweta conducted biomedical research related to Huntington’s disease in Department of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco.

Jim brings extensive intellectual property and transactional experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology fields.

Jim brings over 20 years experience working in-house at a biopharma company. His experience ranges from patent portfolio development and management to managing complex license transactions, tying intellectual property needs to the advancement of a company’s business goals. Jim counsels clients on all aspects of patent portfolio development, including freedom to operate, patentability and validity opinions, patent drafting and prosecution (US and foreign), post-approval challenges (ex parte reexamination, inter partes reexamination, oppositions, ANDA) and product life cycle management. He also provides guidance and due diligence relating to intellectual property rights in licensing transactions.

Jim received his J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (Formerly UC Hasting College of Law) and, after developing patent prosecution and opinion expertise at a couple boutique patent firms, spent over 20 years as in-house counsel at Rigel Pharmaceuticals in South San Francisco. Jim’s in-house work provided experience in all aspects of intellectual property development from a business development perspective, in particular protection of commercially valuable pharmaceutical products. He managed the development of an impressive patent portfolio at Rigel, including successfully defending aspect of that portfolio in European oppositions and setting the stage for defense of a paragraph IV ANDA filing. He also managed the out-licensing of major research and development programs to large pharmaceutical companies, including Lilly, AstraZeneca, BMS, as well as commercialization licenses for Rigel’s first commercial product to Grifols, Kissei, Medison and Knight Therapeutics and in-licensing of Rigel’s second commercial product from Forma Therapeutics.

Prior to law school, Jim gained extensive research experience, which has helped inform his intellectual property work. He was a Post Doctoral Fellow for three years at the University of California Berkeley after receiving his doctorate from the University of Connecticut Health Center in Biomedical Science, Neuroscience. He also worked in labs at SRI International for 3 years between gaining his B.A. in Psychobiology from UC, Santa Cruz and going to graduate school.

Todd W. Esker represents startup, emerging, and public life sciences companies in his intellectual property practice. He regularly prepares and prosecutes patent applications and performs IP due diligence (opinions, financings, evaluating IP portfolios in connection with due diligence for acquisitions, mergers, financings, collaborations, and partnering deals). He has supervised foreign associates to successfully obtain patents in the most commercially important patent-granting jurisdictions, as well as counseled clients on validation strategies in Europe and patenting strategies in Africa. Todd brings these experiences with multiple jurisdictions to bear when working with clients.

Todd also advises clients on Post-Grant Proceedings before the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) and on Oppositions before the European Patent Office (EPO). He has also delivered lectures on Hatch-Waxman, Orange Book listings, and FDA Exclusivities. Todd’s practice encompasses small-molecule pharmaceuticals, antibodies and other biologics, drug delivery and formulations, imaging probes, medical devices, and chemical catalysts.

Prior to joining Bozicevic, Field & Francis, Todd served as a judicial extern for Judge Arthur Gajarsa at the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the court with jurisdiction over appeals in patent law matters.

Before beginning his legal career, Todd worked as a research analyst for Stanford Research Institute (SRI) Consulting, and was a graduate student in the chemistry department at the University of California at Berkeley.

Travis advises clients in the construction of patent portfolios to support innovators in developing and commercializing their inventions.  His experience and insight helps his clients maximize the value of their inventions while mitigating risk.  His experience includes managing patent portfolios around commercial products from the discovery stage through clinical trials, commercialization and life cycle management.  Travis has advised clients in due diligence evaluations and negotiations in connection with significant financing and licensing transactions.

Travis has practiced as in-house counsel and outside counsel to companies ranging from seed-stage start-ups to commercial stage pharmaceutical companies.  He is acutely aware of the challenges faced by start-ups in the pre-IPO and post-IPO environment and in his practice he helps clients successfully navigate the intellectual property aspects of those challenges from patent procurement, portfolio management, freedom to operate, commercialization and adversarial proceedings.

Travis has extensive experience in designing, procuring and managing patent portfolios in the U.S. and worldwide.  Patents that Travis has obtained on behalf of clients have been successfully litigated and licensed.  Other patents he has obtained have survived post-grant proceedings in the U.S. and Europe.  Travis also has experience supporting successful patent challenges in proceedings in the U.S. and abroad

In addition, Travis advises in the evaluation of patent assets that are the target of investment, acquisition or licensing.  In his practice, he also has advised investors on the intellectual property aspects of private and public transactions.

Travis received his law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School where he attended the evening program while working full time as a patent agent.  Prior to law school, Travis earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, where he worked in Laura Kiessling’s laboratory.  Travis also holds an undergraduate degree in Chemistry with minors in Germanic Studies and Mathematics from Indiana University.  While at Indiana University, Travis worked under the direction of Paul Grieco in the area of natural products and their synthesis.

Christian’s years of experience in patent prosecution and licensing, combined with his diverse scientific background, make him uniquely suited to the service of his clients in the life sciences. His doctoral research focused on evolutionary genomics, where he developed a strong background in molecular biology and genetics, including nucleic acid sequencing, genome assembly, and bioinformatics.  Additionally, much of Christian’s work focused on characterizing polyploid genomes, which adds complexity to traditional genomic analysis focused on diploid genomes.  This background allows Christian to assist inventors across a range of genetic and genomic technologies from personalized medicine to agriculture.

When not crafting and drafting patent positions for clients, Christian enjoys his time spent in the air as a licensed commercial pilot and flight instructor.

David’s practice focuses on intellectual property matters across a wide range of technical fields, including biotechnology, biomedical devices, as well as computer technologies.

David’s practice areas span patent application drafting and prosecution, infringement and validity opinions, freedom to operate analysis, and intellectual property due diligence reviews.

Prior to joining the firm, David practiced law at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in San Francisco and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton in New York City, and most recently David was an in house attorney at a technology company in Silicon Valley.  David received a J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center, an M.S.E. in Computer Engineering from the University of Texas, and a B.S.E. in Computer Engineering, summa cum laude, from the University of Michigan.  Prior to law school, David worked for several years as a computer engineer for both established and start-up computer technology companies.

Khin’s practice focuses on patent drafting and prosecution involving both domestic and foreign patent applications.

His expertise spans the areas of analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Khin’s experience also includes providing technical support in Freedom-to-Operate analysis, invalidity and patentability opinions and post-grant prosecution, including Ex parte Re-examination and Oppositions before the European Patent Office.

Khin also has extensive experience in the areas of excited-state photochemistry, petrochemical analysis, ultrafast spectroscopy and fullerene chemistry. He has presented his research at numerous symposia and at the American Chemical Society National Meetings. He has also authored numerous articles, which have been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Chemical Communications, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences A: Chemistry, Journal of Physical Chemistry, and Photochemistry and Photobiology.

Khin received a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry as a Christopher S. Foote Fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles and a B.S. in Biochemistry with Honors from the University of California, Los Angeles. During his graduate studies, Khin’s research focused on the chemical reactivity and photophysical properties of organic molecular nanocrystals in solid-state photo-decarbonylation reactions.

Khin is a member of the American Chemical Society and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Kyle Gurley’s expertise spans developmental biology, stem cell biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, genomics, and genome editing. His practice focuses on drafting and prosecuting patent applications in the U.S. and in foreign jurisdictions. Kyle has experience with U.S. interference proceedings, European oppositions, and patentability analysis. He also provides technical support in Freedom-to-Operate analysis.

Trained as a scientist, Kyle has published 11 peer-reviewed papers in highly respected journals such as Science, Developmental Biology, StemBook, and the American Journal of Human Genetics. His competitive research awards include a pre-doctoral HHMI fellowship and a post-doctoral NRSA individual fellowship (NIH).  As a new professor/investigator, Kyle was also selected to receive a March of Dimes Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Award, which he did not accept, and instead decided to pursue his career with Bozicevic, Field & Francis.

Kyle earned a B.S. degree with Honors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in Bacteriology, Genetics, and Molecular Biology. He earned a Ph.D. from Stanford University in the field of Developmental Biology. While pursuing his Ph.D. as a graduate student in David Kingsley’s laboratory, Kyle engineered transgenic mice and used a heterologous expression system to study the genetics and biochemistry of ANK, an ion transport protein that helps maintain healthy bones and joints in mice and humans.

Kyle performed his post-doctoral work in the HHMI-funded laboratory of Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado from 2006-2010 at the University of Utah, where he studied stem cell biology and tissue regeneration in planarians, animals with astounding regenerative capacity. During this time, he published two first-author papers in the journal Science describing how cell-to-cell signaling impacts whether stem cells choose to build a head or tail during regeneration. Kyle went on to establish his own planarian research lab in 2010 as a tenure-track professor/investigator at the University of Pittsburgh before deciding to join Bozicevic, Field & Francis in 2012.

Michael’s scientific background includes a variety of chemistry disciplines, with organic chemistry being a particular focus. He brings a commercialization-mindset to patent law based on his time spent in private-sector research.

An organic chemist by training, Michael’s scientific experience centers around the fields of organic synthesis, petrochemicals, small molecule pharmaceuticals, and polymers.  Michael applies his scientific expertise to patent prosecution matters in these fields as well as others, such as medical devices and biotechnology.

Prior to joining Bozicevic, Field, and Francis, Michael earned his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Rutgers University.  While at graduate school, he designed catalytic systems for making cleaner-burning diesel fuel and other organic products.  His passion for scientific writing and new technologies led him to patent law.

Michael also earned a B.S. from the University of California at Davis while conducting research on solid-state nanoparticles related to the hydrogen economy.  Afterwards, he helped develop petroleum refining and wastewater treatment technologies at the Chevron Corporation before attending graduate school.  He is familiar with various green technologies.

Jenny specializes in preparation and prosecution of patent applications primarily in the areas of biotechnology and chemistry, including biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, microbiology, recombinant technology, synthetic biology, genomics, gene therapy, immunology, virology, pharmaceuticals, stem cell therapy, diagnostics, and imaging.

She has experience in drafting and prosecuting patent applications in U.S. and foreign patent offices as well as patentability analysis.

Prior to joining Bozicevic, Field & Francis, Jenny worked as a Patent Agent for Stanford University, the law firm of Robins and Pasternak, and Incyte Corporation.

Jenny completed graduate studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry. Jenny also received a B.A. in the majors of Biochemistry and Chemistry from Brandeis University. In addition, Jenny performed postdoctoral research at the University of California, San Francisco in X-ray crystallography. Her graduate and postdoctoral research included experience with site-directed mutagenesis, cloning, polymerase chain reaction, cell culture, protein expression and purification, enzyme kinetics, x-ray crystallography, and spectroscopy.

Andrew’s scientific experience centers around the fields of molecular biology, plant genetics and physiology, protein biochemistry, CRISPR technology, functional genomics, pathology, mammalian and plant immunology and microbiology.

Prior to joining Bozicevic, Field, and Francis, Andrew earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Stanford University. During his time in graduate school in Dr. Mary Beth Mudgett’s lab, he engineered transgenic tomato plants and used disease resistance assays and protein biochemistry to study the role of a protein, TARK1, in pre-invasion defense about pathogens. This work was supported by a fellowship he obtained from the United States of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (USDA NIFA AFRI).  A portion of his Thesis work was published in the journal Plant Physiology.  His passion for analytical thinking, scientific writing and emerging biotechnologies led him to patent law.

Andrew also earned a B.S. with honors in the major of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz while conducting research on cell division and genetics using confocal microscopy in a Drosophila model.  During this time, he was awarded an honors research fellowship from Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Honors Program. Following his bachelors, he was also awarded an honors research fellowship from the NIH funded Post-Research Education Program (PREP).

Peter’s areas of interest include lipid biology, neurodegenerative disease, and molecular biology. He has experience with laboratory techniques such as protein purification, histology, tissue culture and bacterial genetics.

Peter graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College with degrees in Biology and Government. As an undergraduate student, Peter worked under Dr. Catherine Chang in a biochemistry lab at the Geisel School of Medicine. While there, he contributed to research on the role acyl-coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) plays in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative conditions such as Niemann-Pick disease type C and Alzheimer’s Disease. Peter is also a student of political philosophy, and completed an independent project on how research in biology and neuroscience supports an evolutionary case for the development of political morality.

After interning at Bozicevic, Field & Francis, Peter joined the firm upon completing his undergraduate studies.

Ypsita specializes in preparation and prosecution of patent applications primarily in the areas of biotechnology, including biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, microbiology, recombinant technology, synthetic biology, genomics, gene therapy, immunology, virology, pharmaceuticals, stem cell therapy, diagnostics, and imaging.

Ypsita has experience in drafting and prosecuting patent applications in U.S. and foreign patent offices as well as wide range of patent searching, preparing claim charts and competitive analyses.

Ypsita graduated from George Washington University with a Masters in IP Law and was awarded full tuition Thomas Buergenthal scholarship for academic merit. Prior to that she also got a Masters degree from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), India and a bachelor engineering degree in Biotechnology.  As an undergraduate student, Ypsita worked in a molecular biology lab at the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB) on the role of SNPs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), and particularly the role of p53 in HNSCC.  Ypsita also completed an independent robotics project for next generation sequencing when at IICB.

Before joining Bozicevic, Field and Frances LLP, she worked as a patent agent for Pendulum Therapeutics specializing in the cross-technical fields of microbiology, gut-science, and industrial manufacturing processes of microbial technologies. Before then, she worked extensively for 7 years at patent search firms in Boston and Alexandria, VA.  She has worked extensively in developing and managing portfolio of budding start-ups and have taken them to close millions of dollars worth of Series C funding successfully.

Dana’s practice focuses on patent drafting and prosecution involving both domestic and foreign patent applications.

Prior to joining Bozicevic, Field and Francis, Dana drafted and prosecuted patent applications in various fields, such as biotechnology, molecular biology, diagnostics, medical devices, food engineering, and cosmetic chemistry at a U.S. patent law firm. Dana also worked as a Korean Patent Attorney and prosecuted patent applications on behalf of major Korean companies.

Dana received her law degree from Ewha Law School. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Food Science and Biotechnology from Seoul National University. Dana is admitted to practice law in Korea and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the Korean Intellectual Property Office.

Darya’s areas of scientific expertise include cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, neuroscience, pharmacology and pharmacogenomics, pharmaceutical sciences, metabolomics, and bioinformatics.

Darya earned a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics at the University of California, San Francisco. During her graduate studies, Darya’s research included developing a large-scale behavior-based zebrafish screen for neuroactive drugs at the UCSF Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases. She also conducted research on the physiological roles of activity-induced double-stranded DNA breaks in the brain at the Gladstone Institutes. While at UCSF, Darya interned with the UCSF Office of Technology Management where she facilitated university technology commercialization and IP management by analyzing novel technologies, assisting with patent applications, and conducting market intelligence research.

Prior to her graduate degree, Darya conducted metabolomics research at the RTI International Metabolomics Resource Core as a research associate. This included developing a metabolomics workflow to improve detection of drug-induced liver injury and studying the effects of protein kinase inhibiting drugs on the cellular metabolism of AML cells. Darya received a B.S. degree with Honors in Biology, concentrating in Pharmacology, from Duke University.

Dr. Mandar Joshi focuses on patent drafting and prosecution in the United States and other countries worldwide for inventions related to biotechnology. Mandar also counsels clients on patentability of new inventions, invalidity of issued patents, non-infringement and freedom-to-operate analyses for proposed new products, and analyses of patent portfolios.

Mandar received his Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from Mumbai University, India.  He then received a Master of Science degree in Biotechnology, also from Mumbai University.  Mandar joined Indiana University School of Medicine for his graduate studies and received Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.  As a graduate student, Mandar published extensively in the area of protein and glucose metabolism, particularly, regulation of branched-chain amino acids.  Mandar also cloned and characterized a novel mitochondrial protein phosphatase.

Mandar then joined Faegre Baker Daniels as a technical specialist.  While working as a technical specialist, Mandar attended law school at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.  While in law school, Mandar also worked at Indiana University School of Medicine as a research technician and participated in studies to test potential radiomitigators to ameliorate the side-effects of radiation as well as in basic research on finding the long-term effects of radiation on the hematological system.

As a law student, Mandar focused on the study of intellectual property law and he was the nominee from his law school for 2012 Jan Jancin award for the excellence in intellectual property academic studies.

Mandar has gained extensive experience in drafting and prosecuting patent application and providing due diligence opinions in a variety of inventions related to biotechnology: DNA sequencing, protein expression and purification, immunology, therapeutic antibodies, genetically engineered organism, agriculture, small molecule therapeutics, and medical devices, to name a few.

Nicholas’s scientific expertise centers around the field of biomolecular engineering, with a particular focus in cell free systems, adaptive evolution, pathway analysis, enzyme kinetics and gene expression. He also has extensive experience with injection molding, design for manufacturing, and 3D printing.

Prior to joining the firm, Nicholas earned his M.S. in Metabolic Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College. While attending, he conducted research in the Lynd Research Lab at the Thayer School of Engineering. There his work focused on the creation of genetic tools to streamline metabolic engineering efforts in Clostridium thermocellum. His work has been published in scientific journals such as Biotechnology for Biofuels.

Nicholas also received a Bachelor of Engineering degree at the Thayer school of engineering. During this time, he aided in the design of a viral enrichment device for a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation backed biotech startup. Additionally, Nicholas received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College where he graduated with high honors. While completing this degree, he engaged in research activity with the Lynd Research Lab and the Gobabeb Research Institute in Namibia.

Prior to joining Bozicevic, Field, and Francis, Jonathan earned his Ph.D in Chemical & Systems Biology from Stanford. In the lab of Dr. Daniel Jarosz, his research focused on understanding how eukaryotic cells survive, and even thrive, carrying high mutation burdens.  He developed a eukaryotic model of accumulating mutation burden by propagating independent lineages of mutagenic Saccharomyces cerevisiae. He then characterized the shared transcriptional changes that surviving lineages mounted in response to increasing mutation burden and demonstrated that this transcriptional response was both coherently regulated and necessary for survival. Towards the end of his graduate studies, Jonathan also joined an internship with Stanford’s Office of Technology Licensing where he analyzed novel technologies and prepared market research to help license Stanford inventions in biotechnology and the life-sciences.

Prior to his graduate degree, Jonathan conducted research in the lab of Dr. Simon Malcomber at California State University, Long Beach. His research focused on characterizing the evolutionary history of a boron nutrient transporter required for proper reproductive and vegetative development of the economically critical plants in the Poaceae family, which encompasses the staple food crops of maize, rice, wheat, and barley. Jonathan received a B.S. degree with Honors in Cell & Molecular Biology from California State University, Long Beach.

Rachana received a Bachelor of Technology degree with specialization in Surface Coating Technology from Institute of Chemical Technology, India. Rachana also received a Bachelor’s in Law degree at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, with specialization in Intellectual Property Law.

Prior to joining BFF, Rachana worked as a Patent Agent at an Indian patent law firm. Rachana was involved in searching, drafting, filing and prosecuting patent applications in India. Rachana handles a variety of inventions related to the fields of polymer science and technology, textiles, nanotechnology, specialty chemicals, packaging, material science, metallurgy, catalysis, oil, gas and petroleum, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, food technology, agricultural products, and medical diagnostics.

Melissa’s areas of scientific expertise include cell biology, nanotechnology, cell/material interfaces, nanoparticles, and hydrogel synthesis. She also has extensive experience in super resolution fluorescence microscopy, electron microscopy, and high content image analysis. She received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford University.

Prior to joining Bozicevic, Field and Francis, Melissa earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford University. During her graduate studies in Dr. Bianxiao Cui’s lab, her research focused on the interface between cells and nanotextured materials, such as nanofabricated structures, medical implants, and extracellular matrix fibers. She developed and published a method for imaging the cell/material interface in super resolution using expansion microscopy. Melissa received support for this work from the National Institute of Health (NIH) biotechnology training grant fellowship. Through this fellowship, she interacted with many inventors of emerging technologies at both big companies and start-ups, which led to her interest in patent law.

During graduate school, Melissa also completed an internship at Amgen. She designed workflows for super resolution imaging and deep-learning based high-content image analysis to study drug-binding in cancer cell co-cultures. Prior to her graduate degree, she synthesized and characterized libraries of biologically-compatible inorganic nanoparticles for improved MRI contrast agents. Melissa received her Sc.B. degree with Honors and magna cum laude in Chemistry, with a concentration in materials chemistry, from Brown University