Nick Sutcliffe

Nick is a highly experienced UK and European patent attorney with deep expertise in the life sciences sector.

For more than two decades he has worked closely with start‑ups, spin‑outs, founders, R&D leaders, and in‑house counsel across the UK and internationally. He is known for combining technical insight, strategic thinking and clear, practical advice that supports companies at every stage of growth.

Nick provides end‑to‑end guidance across the full spectrum of patent activities. He works with clients from the very earliest stages of invention capture – often helping founders and scientists shape emerging ideas – through to drafting, global portfolio management, prosecution, and appeals. His advice is consistently commercial, helping clients build strong IP positions that support investment, partnerships and product development.

Nick has extensive experience in high‑stakes European oppositions and appeals, acting for both patentees and opponents, and has been involved in numerous complex, multi‑party cases relating to core platform technologies. He also conducts rigorous due‑diligence and freedom‑to‑operate analyses, providing clear, actionable guidance that helps clients navigate competitive landscapes and make confident business decisions.

With a strong track record of securing, defending and challenging valuable IP rights, Nick is trusted for his ability to cut through complexity, deliver insight quickly and develop robust, commercially aligned patent strategies.

Nick works with a wide range of clients across the life sciences sector, including university tech transfer offices, spin‑outs, start‑ups, SMEs, charities, research institutions and multinational companies. He is particularly experienced in supporting early‑stage companies and in‑house teams needing responsive, strategic and commercially focused IP advice.

Areas of Expertise

• Cell and Gene therapy
• Nucleic acid technology
• Regenerative medicine
• Biological therapeutics
• Next-generation drug modalities
• Food technology

Technical Background

Nick gained a BSc (Hons.) degree in Biochemistry from the University of Bristol in 1990 and a PhD from the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Leicester in 1995. After working in industrial R&D, he joined Mewburn Ellis LLP in 1997.
He qualified as a Chartered Patent Attorney and European Patent Attorney in 2001 and became a partner in 2003. In 2015, he was awarded a Higher Courts Litigation Certificate.

Opposition Highlights

Nick has handled numerous opposition and appeal cases in the European Patent Office, including:

• EP14858383: Defensive opposition for Upside Foods, Inc. involving enabling technology for lab‑grown meat. The patent was maintained with only minor amendments.
• EP94926324, T2311/09: Offensive opposition for Cambridge Antibody Technology Limited concerning anti‑eotaxin antibodies. The patent was limited to narrow claims that excluded the client’s product. The decision was upheld on appeal and later cited by the Enlarged Board in G01/15.
• EP14824390, T2125/21: Defensive opposition for Philochem AG involving platform technology for DNA‑encoded libraries. The opposition was rejected and the patent maintained as granted, with the result confirmed on appeal.
• EP02734056: Offensive opposition for an anonymous party against a patent covering phagemid vectors. The patent was revoked in full.
• EP06752497: Defensive opposition for a US law firm relating to SNP analysis methods. The patent was maintained as granted.

Recommendations

Nick has been consistently recommended in IAM Patent 1000 since 2012.
Highlights include:

• Described as a “local hero” for his work filing applications for Cambridge Enterprise Ltd (2018).
• Recognised for “keen insight in the field of antibodies and recombinant proteins” (2020).
• Praised for “accurate, unbiased opinion” and an “impressive ability to digest written material and draft claims with pertinent questions without the need for hours of meetings” (2021).

Nick has also been recognised as an IP Star in Managing IP’s IP Stars every year since 2014.