Cell Therapy

We are delighted to be working with innovative companies and academic institutions in the exciting field of cell therapy. We leverage our huge depth of experience in the fields of monoclonal antibody technology, cellular biology, immunology and regenerative medicine to build robust, investable patent portfolios for our clients in this space. While applying our wealth of existing knowledge, we are also alive to the fact that new technologies require fresh thinking and an innovative approach to patent protection.

We understand the importance of considering the practicalities of the production and administration of the therapeutic agent(s) at the earliest possible stage, and work with closely with our clients to understand that fine details of the technology and develop an appropriate supporting global patent strategy. For example, in the field of adoptive cellular therapy, strategy for protecting an autologous cell therapy, in which the therapeutic ‘product’ to be administered is a personalised product derived from a patient’s own cells requires a different approach to protecting an allogeneic cell therapy (towards which the field is increasingly moving), which in some aspects is closer to a traditional ‘off-the-shelf’ product.

We have considerable experience in drafting and prosecuting patent applications relating to innovative cell therapies, including for novel CAR/TCR molecules, new platform approaches and innovations relating to the production, expansion and medical use of cell therapies. As earlier generation products continue to mature through clinical trials, we also help our clients to protect innovation throughout the product lifecycle, for example with patent applications related to personalised medicine or new dosage regimes. We also help our clients to navigate the dynamic and increasingly complex patent landscape in the field of cell therapy, strategising with them to minimize the risk presented by patents held by third parties.

Mewburn Ellis is very proud to be working with the entities operating right at the cutting edge of innovation in this exciting field, developing the new platform technologies, designing novel recombinant molecules (CARs, TCRs, etc.) and moving into new disease frontiers (solid cancers, autoimmune disease, viral disease), that will re-shape the therapeutic landscape for the years to come.

Open Pages of Validation Strategies for Pharmaceutical Patents in Europe Report

Validation Strategies for Pharmaceutical Patents in Europe

Special Report

The decision on where to validate a pharmaceutical European patent is a big one. With costs often precluding an “everywhere” approach for small- to medium-sized companies, research institutions and universities, it is necessary to choose from the long list of available countries. The choice typically factors in costs, business interests, likely markets and market size, possible manufacturing and import locations and the regulatory framework in Europe.

This report explores these choices and factors using publicly available data, seeking to answer questions such as:

  • Which countries are most commonly picked by patent holders at the EPO?
  • Is the distribution the same for pharmaceutical patents?
  • Where does “big pharma” choose to validate?
  • What factors might affect the choice of countries?
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Read our blogs

Celebrating Women: A Toast to Connection

Celebrating Women: A Toast to Connection

by Frances Salisbury

We were thrilled to host the first event in our new Celebrating Women series at our London office at 8 Bishopsgate, an evening designed to bring together women working across life sciences to ...

UPC Weekly - Apple-scuse me? Intervening to protect confidential information

UPC Weekly - Apple-scuse me? Intervening to protect confidential information

by Matthew Naylor

2025 Week 39 New orders from the UPC Court of Appeal (CoA) this week bring together two running strands of case law at the UPC – the rules about confidentiality clubs and the hurdle for third parties ...

Recalibrating Innovation: Venture Capital’s Transformative Role in the 2025 WIPO Global Innovation Index (GII) Cluster Rankings

Recalibrating Innovation: Venture Capital’s Transformative Role in the 2025 WIPO Global Innovation Index (GII) Cluster Rankings

by Chloe Flower

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has released its 2025 Global Innovation Index (GII) Cluster Rankings, and this year’s edition introduces a pivotal shift in how innovation is ...

UPC Weekly - EPO oppositions and UPC opt-outs – what the numbers say

UPC Weekly - EPO oppositions and UPC opt-outs – what the numbers say

by Katherine Green

2025 Week 38 With our focus on the UPC, we’ve been reporting on cases where EPO oppositions and UPC actions are happening in parallel, particularly where the parties are able to play these ...

UPC Weekly - Doctrine of equivalence gets another airing at the UPC

UPC Weekly - Doctrine of equivalence gets another airing at the UPC

by Matthew Naylor

2025 Week 37 Various divisions of the UPC have been notably reluctant to set out their vision for a structured test for how infringement by equivalence should be assessed. Except the Local Division ...

Most Active Defendants in EPO Oppositions – 2024

Most Active Defendants in EPO Oppositions – 2024

by Katherine Green

Each year the European Patent Office (EPO) grants about 100,000 patents. Of these about 2-3% are opposed – meaning that a third party has formally filed a request that the EPO revoke the patent. This ...

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Forward Magazines Overlapping 8

Mewburn Ellis

FORWARD MAGAZINE

Mewburn Ellis Forward is a biannual publication that celebrates the best of innovation and exploration. Through its pages we hope to inform and entertain, but also to encourage discussion about the most compelling developments taking place in the scientific and entrepreneurial world. Along the way, we’ll engage with the IP challenges that international organisations face every day.