FORWARD: News, Insights & Features

The term Synthetic Biology, or SynBio, has been used for a while; the..

Over recent decades monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy has developed..

We are delighted to release our latest report Patent Litigation..

On Thursday 24 November 2022, the Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBA) will..

For over a decade, the promise of cultivated meat, grown using..

In January 2021, we published our Special Report on EP validation..

In September, the EPO commissioned a survey about their opposition..

In a development which will be of interest to biotech companies,..

Fran Salisbury spoke to The Patent Lawyer Magazine about gender bias..

The EPO Opposition Division just issued its decision on European..

Our pets are members of the family, and we would do everything we can..

We are extremely proud to be ranked tier one for our patent and trade..

Partner Robert Watson was elected President of FICPI’s Study and Work..

Congratulations to Eleanor Maciver, Anna Mudge and Ben Tolley for..

4 October 2022 is World Animal Day and we can reflect on how the..

One of the oldest known microbiome-based therapeutics, faecal..

We really are experts when it comes to opposing patents and our..

It’s hard to miss the scale of investor and consumer appetite for..

In recent years the field of cancer immunotherapy has exploded in..

When we reviewed our list of the most opposed European patents of..

2021 was a year of unprecedented success for the biotech and..

A rapid bedside genetic test can screen newborn babies for a genetic..

Despite not having any express legislative basis in the European..

Dog cancer specialist Dr Clare Knottenbelt reveals the insights..

We investigate what it takes to stand out in an increasingly crowded..

The future of food is big business and it’s only going to get bigger..

One thing the past couple of years have taught a lot of people is..

Our body hosts trillions of microorganisms that are essential to many..

So much more than nutrition, food can evoke pleasure and excitement..

In a recent judgment the UK High Court of Justice revoked European..

The scramble for a coronavirus vaccine over the last two years has..

Germany is synonymous with precision engineering and quality..

Just over two years after our first blog on Covid-19, it appears that..

Millions of people around the world depend on implanted medical..

Having previously spoken to Guy Heathers, Singapore biotech..

In our series on future food, we have explored the exciting..

We are all too familiar with the statistic that 1 in 2 of us will get..

The theme of International Women’s Day 2022 was “Break the Bias”,..

3D-Printing is an additive manufacturing process whereby objects are..

For many expectant parents, pregnancy is a time of excitement, yet..

EPO oppositions by videoconference only became possible relatively..

Many of us – at least in the West – grew up with the knowledge that..

On 18 January 2022, Austria became the thirteenth EU country to..

On 2 December 2021, Austria became the thirteenth EU country to pass..

In 2020 the EPO published a report on the global trends in patent..

Camille Terfve spoke to EMBL Careers about what it takes to become a..

There is no denying that the Covid-19 pandemic has reshaped many..

To coincide with the launch of COP26 we have released a new report..

We are delighted to have once again been ranked Band 1 in Chambers &..

In this Forward: On Demand vlog, Christopher Casley gives us an..

Biomarkers are measurable indicators of health or disease and the..

In this Forward: On Demand vlog, Joseph Morgan and Alex Galbraith..

Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs) are incredibly important..

Congratulations to Rebecca Anderson-Smith, Callum McGuinn and Ben..

In 2021, innovation really has been a hot topic, with the..

Mewburn Ellis is proud to be ranked top tier for our patent and trade..

Years after meeting her as another primary-school parent, Forward..

Like many others, lockdown has changed not only the daily rhythm in..

The future of food is a hot topic. Whether it is cellular..

For us antibody nerds, a fascinating aspect of the development of..

In this Forward: On Demand vlog, Samuel Hart discusses liquid biopsy..

Every year at the EPO about 3000-4000 patents are opposed. This..

Despite not having any express legislative basis in the European..

Our new Special Report, Patent Landscape in Bioinformatics and..

In 1974, Bob Dylan asked that we stay forever young. Today, exciting..

By 2050, it is estimated that one quarter of the global population..

The ability to directly edit a patient’s genome safely and..

The recently released Mewburn Ellis IP Guide for SMEs sets out IP..

We are delighted to once again be ranked ‘gold tier’ in IAM PATENT..

In cancer patients, “metastasis” occurs as tumour cells break-away..

New study demonstrates enormous potential

Earlier this month, we..

Jim Mellon, investor in innovation, entrepreneur and author, joins us..

In this Forward: On Demand vlog, Fay Allen and Sarah Harvey discuss..

Our Special Report Pharma and Life Sciences Patent Extensions in..

Sarah Kostiuk-Smith, Partner and Patent Attorney at Mewburn Ellis (..

We are delighted to be ranked Tier 1 for Patent Prosecution UK in MIP..

We are delighted to once again be recognised in the Financial Times..

It might be trite to observe, but as the human body is formed of..

Traditional tissue biopsies are a vital aspect of current medical..

Our bodies play host to a complex network of viruses, many of which..

Human health is inextricably linked to food – not least because..

AI is a hot topic for the current UK government. Last year, the UK..

The recently released Mewburn Ellis IP Guide for SMEs sets out IP..

Rugby, along with many other contact sports such as football, boxing..

With the ‘future foods’ market set to grow exponentially over the..

The “microbiome” is commonly associated with the gut microbiome, but..

Whilst the oceans remain as vast and seemingly inexhaustible as ever,..

Forward editor Caitlin Mackesy Davies learns how we might all be able..

From refashioning foods to fabricating organs, bioprinting is the..

Organ transplantation has saved, transformed, and extended countless..

The European Patent Office (EPO) recently published its 2020 Patent..

Lung cancer remained the leading cause of cancer death in 2020 with..

A new edition of the EPO Examination Guidelines came into force on 1..

Simon Kremer attended the Agri-TechE “Controlled Environment..

In recent years, antibody engineering has moved into a new phase of..

A new edition of the EPO examination guidelines will come into force..

Bringing a new cancer treatment to the public can be a complex..

In recent weeks and months, several highly-transmissible variants of..

As part of our Thought Leaders series, Director and Co-founder of..

As the technical capabilities of smartphones continue to rise at an..

Current agricultural practices are considered by many to be..

Rising global temperatures and rising populations threaten farmers’..

Respiratory viruses such as coronaviruses are notorious for evading..

Deep learning has just made a new headline grabbing achievement:..

Forward finds out how fresh technologies are providing a way to cut..

In December 2020, US company Eat Just were granted regulatory..

On 26 November 2020, the German Bundestag approved the ratification..

AstraZeneca/Oxford University have announced that their SARS-CoV-2..

Moderna have announced that their SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate..

The EPO has announced changes to the Pilot Project for Video..

UPDATE 6 APRIL 2022: On 6 April 2022, the EPO issued a notice..

Pfizer/BioNTech have now released more data from the Phase 3 clinical..

Our client, MycoTechnology, has won the Radicle Growth Protein..

In recent years, antibody engineering has moved into a new phase of..

No, we are not talking about jumping to conclusions, but the..

We are pleased to report that Mewburn Ellis has been ranked Band 1 in

Congratulations to Rebecca Anderson-Smith, Callum McGuinn and Ben..

The treatment of cancer patients with therapies that are specifically..

In 2012, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier published their ..

Many of us will know someone who has undergone a biopsy during a..

We are delighted to be ranked top tier for our patent practice in the..

Plant-based protein alternatives have arrived in the UK in a big way,..

We have previously discussed the tremendous progress made towards the..

Besides being found within the nucleus and mitochondria of cells, DNA..

The history of humanity is the history of food technology. From the..

Dr Ben Tolley and Dr Nick Sutcliffe of the Life Sciences team look at..

Recent cell and gene therapy product approvals have allowed the..

The development of liquid biopsies

The term liquid biopsy refers to..

At a time that the media is saturated with COVID-19 news, it can be..

Forward editor Caitlin Mackesy Davies finds out why one of our best..

In recent months, lab-grown meat is getting a lot of attention. As..

Compelling advancements in cellular science could soon see us..

The four thousand or so European patents that are opposed every year..

Case 10 – T 1020/03 (EPO Board of Appeal, 29 October 2004)          

It may be a bother for sunbathers, but seaweed is a promising..

In their recent article in Nature Food, high-profile figures in the..

Case 9 – T 734/12 (EPO Board of Appeal, 17 May 2013)                 ..

In a statement to Parliament on 20 July 2020, the government formally..

Forward: features discuss and celebrate the best of innovation and..

As medical treatments become increasingly bespoke, we reveal some..

The simple answer is: yes. Thanks for reading this post, stay tuned..

As part of our Thought Leaders series, Mewburn Ellis Partner Sean..

While the world waits for a vaccine to be developed and approved for..

As previously discussed, data driven approaches have revolutionised..

On 24 June 2020, the UK Supreme Court (UKSC) confirmed the UK courts’..

Case 8 – T 1695/07 (EPO Board of Appeal, 28 September 2011)         ..

Immunologist Karl Friston of University College London has theorized..

Many inventions in the field of bioinformatics (a term that we will..

We are delighted to once again be recognised in the Financial Times’..

We are delighted to once again be ranked ‘highly recommended’ in ‘IAM..

As countries across the world continue to face widespread disruption..

The mechanism through which SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes..

Self-improvement products are everywhere around us, on our..

On 14 May 2020, the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent..

Case 7 – T 879/12 (EPO Board of Appeal, 27 August 2014)            

..

Our client, Duke-NUS, has helped to develop a new, rapid serological..

On 14 May 2020, the Enlarged Boards of Appeal of the European Patent..

From the far east to the east coast of America, the world is taking..

VE day on Friday 8 May 2020 is the 75^th anniversary of the end of..

From a patent perspective this may seem like a strange question with..

In the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, bemcentinib produced..

Case 6 – T 1262/04 (EPO Board of Appeal, 13 July 2012)      

..

There is no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic will have tremendous..

In recent weeks there’s been a lot of discussion in the media of..

There is one obvious way in which computational biology is showing..

Our Singapore based-clients A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology..

Cancer immunotherapies harness the power of the patient’s immune..

The revolutionary CRISPR gene editing tool has been used inside the..

The health and wellbeing of each of us depends upon a number of vast..

UPDATE 14 APRIL 2022: In his blog Horizons in vaccine production,..

The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak is now a global pandemic. In a previous post,..

Now deeply woven into the fabric of biological research,..

Case 5 - T 649/92 (EPO Enlarged Board of Appeal, 2 July 1996)     

Algorithms (sometimes collectively referred to as ‘digital health’)..

Yesterday the UK Government published its negotiating objectives for..

Our analysis of patent oppositions has revealed that early action has..

Deirdre Sanders, president of the Boston Patent Law Association and a..

Cells can acquire the mutations that drive the development of cancer..

I have been working in the field of bioinformatics/computational..

Case 4 - T 801/06 (EPO Board of Appeal, 4 March 2009)

Having attended the Festival of Genomics & Biodata 2020 conference..

The therapeutic benefits of medicinal cannabis have been liberally..

In January it was announced that global pharmaceutical company ..

We are delighted to announce the high-profile appointment of Dr...

When you think of a farm, what comes to mind? Rolling fields of green..

The sequencing of the first human genome in 2003 was a major..

Case 3 - T 1642/06 (EPO Board of Appeal, 23 August 2007)     

What’s all this about?

Claims directed to methods of simulation or..

In one of the most high profile cases of recent years, a European..

Putting “AI” in the title of your paper, or indeed in the name of..

The world’s population is ageing.  In 2018, for the first time in..

What is bioinformatics?

Bioinformatics is a term which we will use as..

As discussed in a previous post, most types of biological or medical..

Despite the success of organ transplantation since its inception in..

Third lymphocyte lineage shows its mettle

B lymphocytes, a type of..

A biomarker, an amalgamation of the term ‘biological marker’, is a..

As part of our 'meet the team' series, we talk to Richard Clegg about..

Our new research has revealed several recent patterns regarding the..

Mewburn Ellis has dug deep into a decade of EPO life sciences'..

As part of our 'meet the team' series, we talk to Chris Denison about..

Antibody development is a mature field of technology.  There are..

Case 1 – T 1859/08 ( EPO Board of Appeal, 5 June 2016)            

..

As part of our 'meet the team' series, we talk to Simon Kiddle about..

As part of our 'meet the team' series, we talk to Katherine Green..

As part of our 'meet the team' series, we talk to Seán Walton about..

There is still a relatively prevalent view in the field of..

Case 2 – T 0099/13 (EPO Board of Appeal, 14 January 2016)         

..

As part of our 'meet the team' series, we talk to Emily Hayes about..

Immunotherapy employs the patient’s immune system against cancer. ..

It has been widely reported in the media recently that we need to do..

The human genome contains roughly 20,000 genes that encode proteins...

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology has attracted a lot of..

Fermented foods have been known for millennia and form an important..

A recent episode of the BBC World Service’s excellent series “50..

Science kits may have inspired generations of children to become..

As new treatments drive a shift towards treating cancer as a..

In this article, Paul Liu and Ashley Barton from Duane Morris LLP..

Twenty­-five years ago Tuerk and Gold reported the Selex method...

Thanks to significant advances in genetics, we are not only getting..

Cultured meat is rapidly emerging alongside plant-and..

Revised Rules of Procedure at the Boards of Appeal have been approved..

Even though the decision in Myriad is now 6 years old and there have..

When you hear the term “gender medicine”, what comes to mind? For..

Singapore’s biotech industry plays a key role in shaping the..

You may be surprised to hear that only 17% of those working in..

Exciting news in the personalised medicine space – the EU has just..

In recent years we have seen dramatic advances in our understanding..

While the general idea of customising treatment to patients is not..

Breakthroughs in healthcare promise a future in which the individual..

Ruling on the big pharma Actavis v ICOS case, the UK Supreme Court..

In our new magazine Forward, we interview C Hunter Baker of Wolf,..

A new referral to the Enlarged Board raises this question...

The..

We are entering an age of precision medicine, with patients receiving..

EPO Board of Appeal 3.3.01 is referring a number of questions..

As we reported previously, EPO Technical Board of Appeal 3304..

In September 2018, NHS England entered into an agreement with Novartis

The field of genomics has seen incredible advances over the past few..

With a growing economy, and a large, ageing population, China is..

I’ve spent the last few days talking with biotech entrepreneurs, VC..

New genomic and proteomic analysis technologies allow for diagnosis..

We may be approaching the end of the year, but the saga of patents..

Early-stage biotech companies are often founded based on the exciting..

Clovis Oncology has announced that the European Patent Office (EPO)..

Life science ‘start-ups’, ‘spin-outs’ and SMEs are some of the most..

The UK Supreme Court issued its decision today on the Warner Lambert..

In recent years, we have witnessed a remarkable healthcare..

We understand that early-stage biotech companies do not have it easy...

Professor Sir Greg Winter’s pioneering work using phage display for..

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two important decisions..