Ali Alemozafar, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Dr. Ali R. Alemozafar is a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he focuses on strategic intellectual property counseling in a wide range of technical fields, including diagnostics, tools, genomics, digital health, bioinformatics, artificial intelligence, materials and various engineering fields. His expertise includes patent strategy, patent prosecution, and patent diligence—including freedom-to-operate analyses—for financings, mergers and acquisitions, and public offerings. Ali has prepared and prosecuted patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions, including Europe, China, and Japan. He provides legal counseling to companies at various stages of growth, from pre-financing start-ups to public companies. Prior to joining the firm, Ali worked on data warehousing, business intelligence, and enterprise data integration. He frequently lectures at the UC Berkeley School of Law and University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, on various intellectual property topics, including patent strategy and IP due diligence.
Jessica Alston, Partner, F-Prime Capital
Jessica is a Partner at F-Prime Capital and focuses primarily on the biopharmaceutical and medical technology sectors. Prior to joining F-Prime in 2015, Jessica was an engagement manager in McKinsey and Company’s Boston office, where she focused on pharmaceuticals and medical products and advised companies across a range of strategic, organizational, and operational topics. She began her career at MIT Lincoln Laboratory in the Biodefense Systems group, where she worked on developing novel techniques for the detection of biological agents. She currently serves on the board of New England Venture Capital Association (NEVCA).
Jessica holds a Ph.D. in genetics from Harvard University and received her BS in biology from Duke University, graduating summa cum laude.
Jessica Anthony, Executive Director & Associate GC, Sandoz Inc., Jessica Anthony serves as the Executive Director and Associate General Counsel at Sandoz, a leading global pharmaceutical company. She specializes in legal antitrust matters, and she utilizes her expansive experience in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry to advance business goals, solve problems, and mitigate risks in a practical, business-oriented manner. Previously, she was promoted to Director and Associate General Counsel at Sandoz. Before Sandoz, Jessica was a Senior Counsel at Cigna Healthcare where she took on an array of responsibilities, including antitrust risk mitigation, business litigation management, and supervising internal investigations. Her legal career began at Ballard Spahr LLP, where she spent almost 12 years. Her last role there was as a Partner, focusing on business litigation and risk mitigation with an emphasis on antitrust-related issues. She was also active in the firm's diversity and hiring initiatives and coordinated their summer associate program. Jessica earned her Doctor of Law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. She also holds a Bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College.
Jenna Aronson, Principal, Two Bear Capital
Jenna is a Principal at Two Bear Capital where she is focused on investments in innovative life sciences therapeutics companies. Early in her career she was a researcher in the Genetics & Aging research unit of the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, working under Dr. Rudy Tanzi developing 3D human neural stem cell models of Alzheimer's disease. She completed her PhD in the Brain & Cognitive Sciences Department at MIT, advised by Dr. Ed Boyden in The McGovern Institute for Brain Research, developing biotechnology platforms for enhanced resolution into clinical samples including brain tissue and liquid biopsies with applications in cancer and neurodegeneration. Her doctoral training was supported by fellowships from the Singleton Foundation and Center for Neurobiological Engineering as well as a Koch Frontiers Award. During her time on campus, she took coursework and was on the teaching team at MIT Sloan School of Management. Passionate about biotech innovation, Jenna enjoys supporting MIT entrepreneurs as a Sandbox Innovation Fund Mentor, formerly served on the executive board of the MIT Biotech Group as VP of Finance, was co-President of Nucleate, a leader of the MIT Global Startup Workshop, and was a former member of the executive board of GapSummit.
Ed Boyden, Founder, Cognito Therapeutics
Ed Boyden is Y. Eva Tan Professor in Neurotechnology at MIT, an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the MIT McGovern Institute, and professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Media Arts and Sciences, and Biological Engineering at MIT. He leads the Synthetic Neurobiology Group, which develops tools for analyzing and repairing complex biological systems, such as the brain, and applies them systematically to reveal ground truth principles of biological function and to repair these systems. He co-directs the MIT Center for Neurobiological Engineering and the K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics, and is a faculty member of the MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Computational & Systems Biology Initiative, and Koch Institute.
Ed received his Ph.D. in neurosciences from Stanford University as a Hertz Fellow. In parallel to his PhD, as an independent side project, he co-invented optogenetic control of neurons, which is now used throughout neuroscience. Previously, he studied chemistry at the Texas Academy of Math and Science at the University of North Texas, starting college at age 14, where he worked on origins of life chemistry. He went on to earn three degrees in electrical engineering and computer science, and physics, from MIT, graduating at age 19, while working on quantum computing for his Masters of Engineering thesis.
Ed is the recipient of the Wilhelm Exner Medal (2020), the Croonian Medal (2019), the Canada Gairdner International Award (2018), the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2016), the Grete Lundbeck Brain Prize (2013) and numerous other recognitions. He was named to the World Economic Forum Young Scientist list (2013) and the Technology Review World’s "Top 35 Innovators under Age 35" list (2006), and is an elected member of the US National Academy of Sciences (2019).
Jason Breen, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Jason Breen is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Wilson Sonsini, where he represents public and private companies at all stages of growth in M&A transactions, primarily working with clients in the life sciences and technology industries. Jason also represents venture capital, growth equity, and private equity funds and focuses on other strategic transactions, including divestitures, joint ventures, and financings. Throughout his career, Jason has represented a broad spectrum of companies in pivotal M&A transactions. This includes assisting biotech companies like DTx Pharma and XinThera in their sale to Novartis and Gilead respectively, guiding AI healthcare leader Caption Health in its sale to GE Healthcare, and overseeing Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in its acquisition of Eli Lilly’s low blood sugar drug BAQSIMI. Jason has also supported Obsidio, a medical device company, in its sale to Boston Scientific and Novosteo, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, in its sale to Cortexyme. Prior to joining Wilson Sonsini, Jason was an equity partner at Goodwin Procter's Los Angeles office and began his legal career at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York. A distinguished figure in corporate law, Jason was honored as the "Corporate Attorney of the Year" by the Los Angeles Business Journal in 2019. He holds a J.D. with honors from UCLA School of Law and a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University.
Raymond Camahort, Partner at Novo HoldingsRaymond Camahort, Ph.D., is Partner at Novo Holdings Venture Investments. He has over 15 years of combined investment, business, and research experience, with expertise in biochemistry, genetics, and gene therapy/editing. Prior to joining Novo Ventures, Ray worked in business development at the Harvard University Office of Technology Development where his role was to help facilitate commercialization of technologies developed in the chemistry and stem cell/regenerative biology departments. Ray has served on the Board of Directors of numerous companies, including Ray Therapeutics, Arcellx, Inspirna, iECURE, Riva Therapeutics, and OnCusp Therapeutics. He completed a National Institute of Health post-doctoral training fellowship at Harvard University and was a pre-doctoral fellow at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, Missouri. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in biochemistry and molecular biology and a B.S. in biological sciences from the University of California Santa Barbara.
Ian Chiang, Partner, Flare Capital
Ian is a Partner at Flare Capital and led the firm’s investment into Knownwell and was an essential part of the firm’s investments in Inbound Health, and RightMove, where he serves as a Board member, as well as Cayaba Care, and Oshi Health. Additionally, Ian led the firm’s Flare Scholar Ventures investments in Adni, EarlyBird Education, Narrable, and Vincere Health. Prior to joining Flare Capital, Ian served as a Senior Vice President and a founding member of CareAllies, Cigna’s family of multi-payer provider services, population health management, and home-based care businesses. In that capacity, he was responsible for developing new technology-enabled services, evolving existing solutions and service lines, and providing ongoing product management across CareAllies’ businesses. In addition, he was also responsible for developing inorganic strategies for CareAllies since its inception. Before launching CareAllies, Ian held a leadership position with Cigna’s US Strategic Operations team. Ian was a co-founder of several start-ups, including XcelDx, which ultimately partnered with Scanwell Health, a smartphone-enabled diagnostics company backed by Y-Combinator, Founders Fund, DCM, Version One, and Mayfield. He focused his efforts on product development and served as an advisor to the company. Scanwell was acquired by BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) in 2021. He also worked for Becton, Dickinson & Company, where he led new product innovation and development. He continues to actively advise and mentor a number of innovative healthcare start-ups. He started his career at McKinsey & Company and spent five years advising healthcare clients globally. Ian serves as an advisor and board member of various organizations. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors at The New England Venture Capital Association and Harvard Business School Healthcare Alumni Association, where he also served as the 2021 Annual Conference Co-Chair. Additionally, Ian serves as an Industry Advisor at Cornell Tech’s The Precision Behavioral Health Initiative. Ian has a Bachelor of Science degree in biological engineering from Cornell University, where he graduated with honors and was a Cornell Presidential Research Scholar. He also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Brendan Coffman, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Brendan Coffman is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he is a member of the antitrust and competition practice. Brendan represents the world's most innovative companies in connection with mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, government investigations, private litigation, and distribution practices. His clients include stalwarts and emerging firms in electronic gaming and entertainment, ridesharing and ADAS/Autonomous Driving, semiconductor and connectivity, pharmaceutical, healthcare, and financial services.
Olga Danilchanka, Principal, MRL Ventures Fund (MRLV)
Olga focuses on investing in preclinical stage companies translating novel biology into human medicines across therapeutics areas of high unmet need. Currently she serves as a Director on the board of Therini Bio and an Observer on the boards of Ambagon Therapeutics, Caraway Therapeutics, Eyebiotech Limited (EyeBio) and PAQ Therapeutics. Prior to joining MRLV in 2018, Olga coordinated the microbiome discovery efforts at the MRL Cambridge Exploratory Science Center, a subsidiary of Merck & Co, and was responsible for identifying immunological pathways through which the microbiome may contribute to disease progression. Prior to joining Merck, Olga was at Epiva Biosciences, a startup founded by Flagship Pioneering (merged with Evelo Biosciences). At Epiva, she helped define the company’s overall strategy and established a microbiology group that identified gut bacteria species that can be used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Olga earned her doctorate in microbiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and did her postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School.
Simren Delaney, Vice President, Intellectual Property & Legal Operations, Metagenomi Technologies
As VP of Legal, Simren oversees corporate governance, contract negotiations, IP portfolio management, and provides support during investor and partnership discussions. As Chief of Staff, Simren helps implement the overall strategy of the company as developed by the greater Executive Team. Before joining Metagenomi, Simren was an associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (WSGR), where she served as a member of the patents and innovations practice focusing on patent counseling, drafting, patent prosecution, and due diligence for clients in the life sciences field. Simren holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Deakin University in Australia and a Masters Degree in law from the University of California Hastings.
Mark Dennish, Vice President, Business Development and New Product Planning at Daiichi Sankyo
Mark Dennish is the Vice President of Business Development and New Product Planning at Daiichi Sankyo. Holding this position for over 12 years, he has been instrumental in leading and expanding business operations and product planning at the global pharmaceutical company. Before stepping into his current role, Mark served as Vice President of Business Development at Daiichi Sankyo for over 16 years. Prior to Daiichi Sankyo, he worked as Vice President of Business and Alliance Development, Asia at Bristol-Myers Squibb for five years. Mark holds an MBA in Finance from Fordham University and a BS in Economics from The College of New Jersey.
Karen Deschaine, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Karen Deschaine is a corporate partner in the San Diego office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where she represents clients in the life sciences sector, primarily in the biotechnology and therapeutics space. Over the course of 16-plus years, Karen has developed a sophisticated company-building corporate life sciences practice. She has handled private financings, public offerings, corporate governance matters, commercial transactions, strategic transactions, securities matters, and the general representation of public and private companies. Karen has successfully represented clients—which range from start-ups to public companies—throughout their life cycles, from formation to exit.
After graduating from law school in 2007, Karen joined Cooley LLP, where she was named a partner in 2016. Before law school, Karen served as a captain in the U.S. Army and commanded two companies. While at West Point, she was a member of the sport parachute team. As such, she jumped the game ball into numerous Army football games and was named the Overall Novice Champion at the 1994 National Collegiate Skydiving Championships.
Scott DeWire, Executive Director, Head of BD&L, USA for Boehringer Ingelheim
Scott is currently Head of Business Development and Licensing, USA at Boehringer Ingelheim, based out of both Ridgefield, CT and Cambridge, MA. He received his BS in Cellular Biology from the University of Connecticut and began his research career with Pfizer in Groton, CT. He later earned a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of North Carolina and did his postdoc at the lab of Nobel Laureate Robert Lefkowitz at Duke University, studying G protein coupled receptor signaling. In late 2007, Scott co-founded a start-up company called Trevena Inc ($TRVN on Nasdaq), helping discover and develop Olinvyk®. After his startup adventure, Scott left Trevena to join BI, initially working in the research group. Scott later moved to lead Cancer Immunology BD&L and assumed his current role as head of the US BD&L team in early 2020.
Ian Edvalson, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Ian Edvalson is a technology transactions partner in Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s Palo Alto office and a former member of the firm’s board of directors. Ian advises numerous domestic and international public and private biopharmaceutical, medtech, and life sciences companies with all of the transactions related to the discovery, development, supply, and commercialization of their products, technologies, and services. He counsels clients with respect to the structuring and negotiating of a wide range of arrangements designed to maximize the value of their businesses.
Ian specializes in working with his clients on the most complex strategic alliances and joint ventures for the development and marketing of all stages of pharmaceutical and other products. In addition, he helps companies with a broad range of other transactions, including technology and asset acquisition, license, discovery, research, development (including clinical development), manufacture and supply, promotion, marketing, distribution, and services agreements.
Ian draws on his almost 30 years of business and legal experience (including his time leading the corporate and business development functions at Third Wave Technologies, a public genomics company) to address the full range of issues and transactions facing biopharmaceutical, medtech, and life sciences companies. He works closely with his clients in setting strategic direction and structuring and negotiating mission-critical business arrangements.
Jennifer Fang, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
With a long-standing career in the legal and life sciences sectors, Jennifer Fang is currently a partner in the Boston office of Wilson Sonsini. She provides counsel to innovative start-ups and pre-IPO companies in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and diagnostic industries, leveraging her legal expertise and Biological Engineering background. Jennifer specializes in navigating transactions, including conversions, spinouts, financings, public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures. Jennifer received numerous honors and recognition, including the 2022 "Best Under 40" award by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), recognition in Chambers USA, and an acknowledgement as a “Top Woman of Law” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. She also featured in Boston Magazine’s “Top Lawyers” list. She serves on the General Counsel Advisory Board of the National Venture Capital Association and contributes her thought leadership through frequent speaking engagements on corporate and securities topics. She also co-chairs the firm's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and serves on the investment committee for the firm's WS Investment Company. Jennifer holds a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and an M.Eng. and B.S. in Biological Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her memberships extend to MIT Alumni Angels, MIT Alumni Life Science Angels, and Breaking Seven. She also serves as a Mentor for Athena on Board.
Farah Gerdes, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Farah Gerdes founded and leads the technology transactions practice in Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's Boston office, where she focuses on the representation of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and diagnostic companies in complex collaboration and partnering transactions. She advises numerous domestic and international, public and private life sciences companies on business transactions related to the discovery, development, supply, and commercialization of life sciences products and technologies. She counsels her clients with respect to the structuring and negotiation of a wide range of agreements, including strategic alliances, joint ventures, incubator structures, options, and build-to-buy arrangements, each designed to maximize the value of their assets. In addition, Farah helps companies with a broad range of other transactions, including technology and asset acquisition, license, discovery, research, development (including clinical development), manufacture and supply, promotion, marketing, distribution, and services agreements. She works closely with her clients in setting strategic direction and structuring and negotiating mission-critical business arrangements. As a complement to her transactional IP practice, Farah advises her life sciences clients on a variety of FDA regulatory and healthcare issues, in the context of their business transactions. Farah’s clients include notable industry leaders in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and diagnostic industries. She has represented Recursion Pharmaceuticals in partnering deals with Takeda, Bayer, and Roche/Genentech. She also advised Ultragenyx in its license agreement with Regeneron for the commercialization of Evinacumab outside the US. Other high-profile clients include Tango Therapeutics, Zymeworks, Theravance Biopharma, Rheos Medicines, NanoString Technologies, Neon Therapeutics, GRAIL, Mylan, oresight VISION4, and Neurotechnology Innovations Translator. Gerdes was named a “2023 Top Women of Law” honoree by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and made it to the “Rising Stars” list by Northern California Super Lawyers from 2011 to 2015.
Chris Gibson, Ph.D., Co-Founder and CEO of Recursion
Chris developed the technology and approach that seeded Recursion as part of his MD/PhD work in the lab of Co-Founder Dr. Dean Li (current President of Merck Research Labs) while at the University of Utah. After completing his Ph.D., Chris left medical school to build Recursion into the rapidly growing company it is today. Chris is a graduate of Rice University with degrees in bioengineering and management. Chris serves on the Board of BioHive, the public-private partnership driving expansion of Utah's life-science ecosystem, the fastest growing in the nation. Chris is also active as an advisor and mentor, both formally and informally, of many young biotech founders. Chris enjoys cycling on both the road and the trails that cut through Utah's great wilderness, as well as spending time with family.
Keith Gottesdiener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Prime Medicine
Keith Gottesdiener, MD is President and Chief Executive Officer of Prime Medicine and has served as a member of our Board of Directors since July 2020. From October 2011 until March 2020, Dr. Gottesdiener served as the Chief Executive Officer and a director of Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that develops therapeutics in rare genetic obesity. During that time, Rhythm submitted a New Drug Application for setmelanotide in two indications, for which setmelanotide was subsequently approved. Dr. Gottesdiener joined Rhythm after 16 years at Merck Research Laboratories, where, starting in 1995, he held positions of increasing responsibility, including serving as a leader of Merck’s late clinical development organization from 2006 to 2011 and leading Merck’s early clinical development across all therapeutic areas from 2001 through early 2006. In such roles, Dr. Gottesdiener oversaw, led, or played a lead role in the development of most of Merck’s approved therapeutics and vaccines. Dr. Gottesdiener received his B.A. from Harvard College and his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his residency and fellowship at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital-Beth Israel Medical Center-Dana Farber Cancer Institute Children’s Hospital programs. After his fellowship, Dr. Gottesdiener did postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Jack Strominger at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. He then joined the faculty as an assistant professor at Columbia University, where he started an independent research laboratory with NIH RO-1 funding, ending his academic career as Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the time he left to join Merck in 1995. Dr. Gottesdiener is also a director at Intercept Pharmaceutics, and at Cardurion Pharmaceuticals.
Norm Hovijitra, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Dr. Norm Hovijitra is a partner in the technology transactions practice at Wilson Sonsini. He advises emerging and established companies in the life sciences industry on legal and business issues associated with the development, manufacture, and commercialization of their products and technologies, including matters relating to intellectual property strategy and patents. Norm's practice focuses on the representation of clients in complex partnering and licensing arrangements, merger and acquisition transactions, and spin-outs. In addition, he advises clients on a range of related transactions such as license agreements with academic and nonprofit institutions; research and development services agreements; clinical trial agreements; and manufacture, supply, and distribution agreements. Dr. Hovijitra has successfully guided many leading companies through significant transactions. These include Amphastar's asset purchase from Lilly, Arcellx's collaboration with Kite, IGM Biosciences' collaboration with Sanofi, Dren Bio's collaboration with Pfizer, and Vividion Therapeutics' collaboration with Roche among others. His expertise also extends to facilitating impactful collaborations for Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Denali Therapeutics with leading entities, and guiding companies like Arrinex and Akarna Therapeutics through successful acquisitions. Previously, Norm worked as a patent agent at the firm, focusing on patent preparation and prosecution, research related to intellectual property, and due diligence matters in the life sciences and clean technology industries. Norm received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering at Stanford University, where he gained research experience in fermentation, molecular biology, and biochemistry. His graduate work focused on the production and characterization of membrane proteins and lipids.
Tony Jeffries, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Tony counsels technology and life sciences clients on a wide range of corporate, securities and governance matters, represents them in IPOs, M&A transactions and other complex transactions and matters, and guides their Boards of Directors and management teams through these matters with experienced, practical and tailored advice. Tony is active in firm management and a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. Tony is also a member of the Board of Visitors at Duke University School of Law. With more than 25 years of experience practicing corporate and securities law, Tony has represented clients ranging from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies on IPOs and other public offerings, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, venture capital financings, the structuring of start-up companies, and other transactional matters. Among the clients Tony represents are companies in a wide variety of technology and life sciences sectors. He also represents prominent venture capital firms and investment banks. Tony is highly esteemed in the industry, as reflected by his inclusion in the 2018-2023 editions of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business and the 2020-2024 editions of Chambers Global. His thought leadership has been widely recognized in numerous publications. Tony has also been interviewed and quoted in numerous business and legal trade media, including Dow Jones/The Wall Street Journal, The Silicon Valley Business Journal, Law360, The Recorder, and The Daily Journal.
Alex Key, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Dr. Alexander Key is a partner in the technology transactions practice of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he focuses primarily on the representation of biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic, and digital health companies. Alex advises private and public companies, both domestic and international, in a broad range of complex partnering transactions, including the structuring and negotiation of acquisitions, licenses, strategic alliances, financings, initial public offerings, research and development agreements and procurement arrangements. He also assists non-profit clients with transactional and intellectual property matters, including The Fogarty Institute and The Buck Institute for Research on Aging. Prior to practicing law, Alex conducted doctoral research on G protein-coupled receptor signaling in the laboratories of Drs. Larry Sklar and Eric Prossnitz and undergraduate research on endocrinology in the laboratory of Dr. Richard Dorin.
Chris Lemasters, Corporate Development, Chimagen Biotherapeutics
Chris LeMasters who joined Chimagen Biotherapeutics in April 2024, currently serves as the chairman of both MBrace Therapeutics and Khartis Therapeutics, as well as a board member at Hoosier Cancer Research Network. Chris LeMasters was CEO of XinThera, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gilead, following its successful sale in May 2023. Previously, he was COO of Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, where led the strategic efforts that resulted in the company’s acquisition by Pfizer in April 2021. Prior to Amplyx, Mr. LeMasters was CBO of Mirati Therapeutics, where he was responsible for corporate development, strategy, and investor relations. During his three years in that role, he helped lead the successful expansion of the company and its market capitalization from $100 million in 2016 to over $5 billion in January 2020. Mr. LeMasters also served as the CEO of Promosome, a privately held mRNA re-engineering company founded by Nobel Laureate Dr. Gerald M. Edelman. He has co-founded and served as a management team member for several biotherapeutics companies, including Cabrellis Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pharmion), Conforma Therapeutics (acquired by Biogen IDEC), Tragara Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Cothera), and Aarden Pharmaceuticals. Earlier in his career, Mr. LeMasters worked in the corporate business development group at Eli Lilly & Company and as a management consultant with Coopers & Lybrand and Owens-Corning. Mr. LeMasters currently serves as a board member of the Hoosier Cancer Research Network, a clinical research organization. He received his MBA from the University of Chicago and BS from Indiana University.
Lou Lieto, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Dr. Louis D. Lieto is the leader of the patents and innovations department at Wilson Sonsini and is a partner in the firm’s Boston and Washington, D.C., offices. Lou advises biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies on strategic patent counseling, global patent portfolio development and management, and IP counseling for M&A and capital markets in complex life science fields. Drawing from decades of experience, Lou works with innovators engaged in highly technical fields, including CRISPR, cell therapy, immunotherapeutics, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, stem cells, biofuels, regenerative medicine, and transgenic animals. Prior to joining the firm, Lou was a patent examiner at the USPTO. One of Lou's main areas of expertise lies in crafting and executing IP strategies for companies with drugs in active clinical trials. He has worked with multiple firms like Aileron Therapeutics, Curemark, Gadeta B.V., BioNTech, Myeloid Therapeutics, Stoke Therapeutics, and TCR2 Therapeutics, guiding them through complex patent landscapes. In addition, Lou provides extensive representation for investors and companies in financings and M&A. He has supported various venture and investment funds, including Anterra Capital, Apple Tree Partners, F-Prime Capital, Flagship Pioneering, Newpath Partners, Novo Ventures, Oxford Science Innovation, RTW Investments, Samsara Biocapital, SR One, UPMC Enterprises, Venrock, and Vida Ventures in IP diligence matters. Furthermore, he has advised numerous companies such as Aileron Therapeutics, Beam Therapeutics, BioNtech, Cargo Therapeutics, Graphite Bio, Neon Therapeutics, Precigen, and Prime Medicine on IP matters related to their public offerings. Also worth noting is his role in facilitating successful acquisitions for numerous companies, including B-Mogen Biotechnologies, CellPoint, Delinia, Future Health Works, Midori, MiroBio, Neon Therapeutics, NeuroCycle Therapeutics, and Totient.
Maureen Ohlhausen, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Maureen Ohlhausen is a Partner and Co-Chair of the Antitrust and Competition practice at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's Washington, D.C., office. A respected regulatory leader, she has held the highest-ranking position at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) serving as Acting Chairman and Commissioner. She also headed the Policy Planning at the FTC, spearheading key initiatives in digital commerce issues. In her illustrious career, Maureen has cemented her position as a veteran antitrust practitioner. Prior to joining Wilson Sonsini, she co-chaired the global antitrust and competition law group at an international firm, successfully representing numerous Fortune 100 companies in government investigations and merger reviews. Maureen's expertise in the field has been recognized by leading industry outlets, including Chambers Global, Chambers USA, and Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America. A recognized thought leader, Maureen's insights are frequently sought by leading media outlets. She is a published author and speaker on antitrust, FTC, privacy, and data security matters, and her scholarship has been cited approvingly by U.S. Courts of Appeal and the U.S. Supreme Court. Furthermore, Maureen has testified over two dozen times before Congress and the Antitrust Modernization Commission. Maureen's impressive contributions to the FTC have been recognized with the Robert Pitofsky Lifetime Achievement Award. Her academic credentials include a J.D. with distinction from George Mason University School of Law and a B.A. with honors from the University of Virginia.
Daniel Orr, Senior Counsel, Wilson Sonsini
Daniel (Dan) Orr has over 20 years’ experience helping clients navigate the FDA and in related transactions and litigation. While working at the FDA, he solved regulatory problems in a product portfolio with combined annual sales of over $37 billion. Dan have particular expertise in regulatory exclusivity and FDA-related intellectual property issues.
Arti Rai, Elvin R. Latty Professor of Law and Faculty Director, The Center for Innovation Policy, Duke Law
Arti Rai, Elvin R. Latty Professor of Law and Faculty Director, The Center for Innovation Policy at Duke Law, is an internationally recognized expert in intellectual property (IP) law, innovation policy, administrative law, and health law. Rai's extensive research on these subjects has been funded by NIH, NSF, Arnold Ventures, the Kauffman Foundation, the Greenwall Foundation, and the Woodrow Wilson Center. Her numerous publications have appeared in both peer-reviewed journals and law reviews. Peer-reviewed journals include Science, the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, the Journal of Legal Studies, Nature Biotechnology, and the Journal of Law and the Biosciences. From March to December 2021, Rai served as Senior Advisor on innovation law and policy issues to the Department of Commerce’s Office of General Counsel. She also regularly advises other federal and state agencies as well as Congress on these issues. She is a member of multiple distinguished councils, including the National Academies’ Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation, the Polaris Advisory Council to the Government Accountability Office, and the American Law Institute. She has also served as a member of the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research, as a public member of the Administrative Conference of the United States, and on numerous National Academies committees. From 2009-2010, Rai headed the Office of Policy and International Affairs at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In that capacity, she led policy analysis of the patent reform legislation that ultimately became the America Invents Act and worked to establish the USPTO’s Office of the Chief Economist. Prior to entering academia, Rai clerked in the Northern District of California and was a litigator at Jenner & Block and the Department of Justice. Rai graduated from Harvard College, magna cum laude, with a degree in biochemistry and history (history and science), attended Harvard Medical School for the 1987-1988 academic year, and received her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1991.
Craig Randall, Assistant General Counsel at RA Capital and Counsel at RA Ventures
Craig Randall is Assistant General Counsel at RA Capital Management and Counsel at RA Ventures, RA Capital's incubator for new companies. His primary responsibilities are to advise RA Capital on private investments, coordinate with portfolio companies regarding deal structures and terms, and counsel RA Ventures on new company formation. Craig holds a BA in Political Science from Bridgewater State College and a JD from Boston College Law School.
Derrick Rowe, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Dr. Derrick Rowe is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where his practice focuses on patent prosecution and counseling designed to help clients protect their intellectual property rights both domestically and internationally in the life sciences, biotechnology, molecular biology, pharmaceutical, diagnostic, and medical device fields. Derrick has extensive experience and has developed his practice in view of his experience in private practice as well as an in-house counsel at a large pharmaceutical company where he provided patent, contract, regulatory, and strategic counseling for pharmaceuticals and vaccines (including for multiple marketed products and related strategic partnerships). Derrick is the author or co-author of eight peer-reviewed scientific articles and several published legal articles. He has also served as speaker/panelist/moderator in multiple life science settings and has guest lectured at a U.S. law school on the topic of Intellectual Property Licensing Law.
Daniel Sullivan, Director of Tech Center 1600 at the United States Patent & Trademark Office, USPTO
Daniel Sullivan is a US Patent and Trademark Office Director of Technology Center 1600 and oversees patent examination operations in the areas of Biotechnology, Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals. Dan joined the USPTO in 2002 to examine in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical art areas. In 2008 he was promoted to Supervisory Patent Examiner, and in 2014 he was promoted to Technology Center Director. Before joining the USPTO, Dr. Sullivan earned a B.A. in Biology and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology both from the University of Missouri, Columbia and worked as a research scientist at the National Institutes of Health.
Brent Vaughan, Founder, Stealth TechBio
Brent Vaughan is the co-founder and currently serves as a board member at Kuzani Pharmaceuticals, a developer of novel medicines designed to treat the underlying basis of autism during children's key developmental years. Until recently, he was CEO of Cognito Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company leading the development of a new class of disease-modifying digital therapeutics to treat neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s disease. With more than 20 years of experience, he has a proven track record of success developing proprietary technologies and products across multiple domains, including digital therapeutics, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. Prior to Cognito, Brent was Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder at Cognoa, an AI-based digital therapeutics company, where he established the company as a leader in digital therapeutics and pediatric behavioral health. Under his leadership, Cognoa was awarded FDA Breakthrough Designation for the first two products for autism and successfully completed the clinical development of the lead product. He was also co-founder at WellnessFX, a leading digital health company. Brent has also held leadership positions in business development and product management in therapeutic and medical device companies including Saegis Pharmaceuticals, Nektar Therapeutics, and Roche.
Jeff Walsh, CEO of Nvelop Therapeutics
Jeff joined Nvelop as CEO in April of 2023. He brings over 30 years of experience in leadership positions with public and private life sciences companies. Prior to Nvelop, Jeff was a venture partner at Third Rock Ventures, evaluating next gen gene and cell therapy opportunities. Prior to TRV, he held executive roles at bluebird bio from 2011-2020, including chief financial and strategy officer and chief operating officer. Jeff previously served as chief business and financial officer of Taligen Therapeutics, Inc. through its sale to Alexion Pharmaceuticals. He also held business development and finance roles at Pathogenesis (sold to Chiron), EXACT Sciences, Allscripts and SmithKline Beecham.
Jeff currently serves on the Board of Directors at Tenaya Therapeutics and Tevard Biosciences and is an Executive Teaching Fellow at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. He received his B.A. from Yale University and M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
Joanna Wang, General Counsel, Insilico Medicine
Joanna Wang leads Insilico’s global legal team covering corporate transactions, AI-driven drug discovery deals, clinical operations, AI development, corporate governance, IP, etc. She was nominated for the ALB Legal Awards Woman Lawyer of the Year – In-house in 2023.
Maren Winnick, Senior Managing Director, Biopharma Investment Banking, and partner at Evercore
Maren Winnick is a senior managing director and partner at Evercore, where she helps lead the firm’s biotech investment banking business. Ms. Winnick advises her clients on a variety of strategic and financing transactions, including M&A, complex partnering, activism and raid defense. While at Evercore, Ms. Winnick has helped her clients raise more than $20 billion across over 75 IPOs, follow-on offerings, convertibles and private capital raises. Ms. Winnick’s recent M&A transactions include DTx’s $1 billion sale to Novartis, Editas Medicine’s cell therapy sale to Shoreline, Carisma Therapeutic’s sale and reverse merger with Sesen Bio, and Translate Bio’s $3.2 billion sale to Sanofi. Ms. Winnick is co-head of the Evercore Women’s Network and a member of the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Leadership Committee. Prior to Evercore, Ms. Winnick was the head of corporate finance at Moderna Therapeutics, helping to lead a $474 million private round financing transaction. She also spent eight years in investment banking at Goldman Sachs in capital markets and M&A, raising over $10 billion across 40-plus transactions while working in the healthcare equity capital markets and advising on a range of healthcare strategic transactions. Earlier in her career, Ms. Winnick was a healthcare consultant at the Monitor Group. She earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Eva Yin, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Eva Yin, Ph.D., M.P.H., is a partner in Wilson Sonsini’s FDA regulatory, healthcare, and consumer products practice. Her practice includes conducting FDA and healthcare regulatory due diligence for corporate transactions; providing legal counsel to manufacturers regarding FDA approval/clearance for various products—including medical devices, mobile apps, and drugs, FDA compliance, regulation of promotional materials and labeling, and manufacturer compliance under federal and state healthcare laws, e.g., the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), False Claims Act (FCA), Sunshine Act, state licensing laws, corporate practice of medicine, etc.; reviewing contracts and compliance policies for manufacturers; and providing legal analysis and risk assessment of business models and fee arrangements involving patient assistance programs, healthcare professionals, or hospitals/clinics under federal and state healthcare laws and regulations. Eva's prior experience also includes patent counseling and patent prosecution for various life sciences and biotechnology companies, freedom-to-operate analysis, non-infringement and invalidity analyses, and legal research for matters involving proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Before joining Wilson Sonsini, Eva worked as an associate in the healthcare group of Sidley Austin LLP in San Francisco, where she advised pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers on healthcare regulatory compliance, risks under the AKS, risks of off-label marketing, and Medicare coverage and reimbursement matters, as well as represented pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in government investigations. Eva has earned several accolades, including recognition on the 2024 "Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation” list, the 2023 Asian Leadership Awards from Profiles in Diversity Journal, and as a top author for life sciences by JD Supra’s “2023 Readers’ Choice Awards.” Eva holds a J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, an M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University. She also earned her B.S. in Chemistry and Biology from Emory University. She is an active member of the American Health Law Association and the Food and Drug Law Institute. She is admitted to the State Bars of California and Washington, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Eva's significant contributions to the legal field also extend to her numerous publications and speaking engagements, shedding light on topics such as healthcare regulatory landscapes, medical product and service regulatory initiatives, and the impact of regulatory laws on different business models.
Michelle Yost Hale, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Michelle Hale is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Her practice focuses on representing companies in government antitrust investigations, including mergers and acquisitions and other civil antitrust investigations. She regularly appears before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Justice, representing companies across a range of industries. Michelle also provides antitrust counseling on a wide variety of business conduct, including joint ventures, collaborations, and pricing and distribution, among others. Prior to joining the firm, Michelle served as a lead attorney in the Mergers IV division of the FTC, where she led matters related to the healthcare, supermarket, and retail industries. During her time at the FTC, Michelle also served as counsel to the director of the Bureau of Competition, where she advised two Bureau of Competition directors on a wide range of antitrust issues. She has significant litigation experience and served as an integral member of the FTC's trial team in the FTC's successful challenges to ProMedica Health System's acquisition of St. Luke's Hospital. While attending law school, Michelle served as an antitrust research assistant to Professor Andrew Gavil and as a legal assistant to the Office of Student Affairs.