Faegre Drinker Welcomes Partner Greg Mitchell, Life Sciences Patent Team to Intellectual Property Practice

Faegre Drinker announced today that intellectual property partner Dr. Gregory Mitchell has joined the New York office, alongside Dr. Jane Chen in New York, Dr. Dylan Kahl in Denver and Dr. Brett Zirkle in Los Angeles. The team joins from an international law firm.

“This team’s technical background in life sciences technologies present a fantastic opportunity to grow our IP practice in sectors strategically important to our firm,” said Jim Steffen, leader of the firm’s intellectual property group. “Their extraordinary skills significantly enhance our patent and technology transactions capabilities in the life sciences, and also bolster our ability to serve clients’ finance, regulatory and litigation needs in that important sector.”

Mitchell’s practice spans every step of the patent process, from strategy development to patent prosecution. With a primary focus on the life sciences, biopharmaceutical and clean technology sectors, Mitchell provides comprehensive advice to small start-ups and international manufacturers, many of which have subsequently had M&A or licensing deals worth hundreds of millions or billions of dollars.

Mitchell’s experience is frequently called upon by clients for help in due diligence and complex corporate matters. He works closely with companies to navigate financial aspects of IP processes, such as venture capital, public offerings, and partnerships between universities, researchers and large companies. Prior to his work for law firms, Mitchell served as VP of intellectual property for a material sciences company and as a bench chemist at a leading nucleotide and oligonucleotide manufacturing company. He also worked as a patent examiner in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and has been a registered patent agent since 2003.

Mitchell earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of San Diego and a master’s and doctorate in chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles. He received his law degree from The George Washington University School of Law.

Joining as an associate, Dr. Jane Chen provides patent counseling to companies and investment firms focusing on biopharmaceuticals, antibody therapies, mRNA therapies, gene editing (CRISPR) technologies, protein and cell therapies, and drug delivery technologies. Chen’s experience runs across the entire patent process, including development, implementation, and prosecution. She earned her doctorate and master’s degrees in genetics and development and bachelor’s in biochemistry from Columbia University. Chen received her law degrees from the University of Minnesota Law School and East China University of Political Science and Law.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Greg and Jane to the New York office and the whole team to the firm. Their backgrounds will benefit the firm’s client offerings well beyond just our IP group, they also enhance our regulatory, finance, and tech transactions work,” said Laura Appleby, New York office leader. “Their excitement to collaborate and technical acumen are great additions to the firm.”

Dr. Dylan Kahl, a patent agent, has experience in managing patent portfolios for various therapeutic companies through the research and application process. He earned his doctorate in medicinal chemistry at the University of Michigan and during his doctoral work, Kahl studied under Dr. Scott D. Larsen at the Vahlteich Medicinal Chemistry Core. He worked on a variety of projects related to small-molecule drug development, including the design and synthesis of potent small-molecule antifibrotic agents from hit to lead, and the production of many successful affinity pull-down probes for target identification studies.

Dr. Brett Zirkle, another patent agent, works with life sciences companies to develop patent portfolios that support platform and product development, capital investment, and commercialization. His practice includes patent prosecution, company- and investor-side patent matters, and related strategic counseling on life science biologics and platform technologies. He earned his doctorate in genetic, molecular, and cell biology from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California and law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. Zirkle was an Intramural Research Award Fellow at the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases within the National Institutes of Health, where his research focused on HIV antibody structural biology and biochemistry.

“With years of experience handling complex patent matters in the health sciences sector, this team is a continuation of the firm’s commitment to advancing our cross-sector health science and IP practices,” said health and life sciences industry group leaders Patrick Cross and Mary Devlin Capizzi. “Their deep understanding of the industry's unique challenges helps ensure that clients receive unparalleled support throughout all aspects of the patent process.”

Faegre Drinker’s intellectual property group helps clients identify, protect and leverage the value of assets on a global scale. Guided by in-depth knowledge of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and its counterparts, the firm navigates the prosecution of patents, trademarks and copyrights across of a wide range of industries and scientific disciplines.