With over a decade of experience in patent law, Brian specializes in global patent procurement, freedom to operate and invalidity analyses, and IP due diligence—primarily in the life sciences. Areas of particular expertise include molecular biology, biotherapeutics (e.g., antibody and peptide therapeutics), cell therapy (e.g., CAR-T cell therapy), next generation sequencing, genetically modified animals, and probiotics.

Brian’s clients cover a wide spectrum: universities; start-up, mid-sized and Fortune 500 companies, each of which can—and do—have different needs.

“Perhaps surprisingly, I gained valuable lessons from my time in the service industry as a young adult. One must listen to patrons to understand their needs, just as one must listen carefully to clients to understand their needs. And when you see there is something missing, it’s up to you to point it out and offer to address the issue.” 

Brian finds particular satisfaction in learning from his clients about their inventions in a range of different cutting-edge technologies, using his skills to devise optimal claiming strategies to best capture those inventions, and obtaining patent protection to further his clients’ business objectives.

“For me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of being a patent practitioner is claim drafting. The inventors share with me their ideas and data, and through collaborative effort and the power of patent law, I craft a document with claims that one day can become a property right that supports commercial efforts to bring the invention to the public market.”

Brian’s undergraduate studies in psychology led him to want to know more about the molecular basis for how the brain works. He took the unusual path of pursuing research in molecular biology. His experience during his Ph.D. studies—in which he discovered a novel gene mutated in the neurological disorder congenital hydrocephalus, followed by his post-doctoral research, in which he elucidated the neural expression pattern of a chromatin organizing protein and generated conditional knock-out mice for the encoding gene—provided a solid technical foundation for his subsequent career path in patent law.

Brian is a former member of the Patent Advisory Committee for The University of California (Santa Cruz), and currently holds a similar position for San Jose State University.