Fay Allen

Fay is a UK and European patent attorney specialising in the life sciences sector. Her expertise spans all stages of the patenting lifecycle, including drafting and prosecuting patent applications, opposition and appeal proceedings before the European Patent Office, and shaping global IP strategies.

She works closely with a diverse range of clients, including multinational pharmaceutical corporations, SMEs, universities and research institutes. Her approach combines technical expertise with strategic thinking to deliver tailored solutions that support clients’ commercial objectives.

As part of this, she enjoys representing her clients’ needs in contentious proceedings. With experience handling large portfolios for major pharmaceutical clients, she coordinates complex prosecution strategies across multiple jurisdictions worldwide. She also offers drafting and strategic advice for spin-outs and start-ups. Her work frequently involves collaborating with academics on invention capture, patentability reviews and early-stage filing strategies.

Areas of Expertise

• Antibodies & antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs)
• Cell therapy
• Immunotherapy
• Cancer therapeutics and biomarkers

Women's Health

Fay is a member of Mewburn’s Women’s Health team. She is deeply committed to advancing Women's Health and using IP to protect diagnostic and therapeutic innovations in this exciting field, from tackling endometriosis and fertility challenges to addressing unmet needs in gynaecological health. She regularly attends events in this space and contributes blogs to the Mewburn Ellis website, sharing insights and developments in women’s health innovation.

Background

Fay has a PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Cambridge and a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Bristol. During her undergraduate degree, she completed a 12-month industry research placement in synthetic biochemistry at GSK. Her doctoral research focused on mitochondrial dysfunction, particularly mitochondrial metabolism during ischaemia-reperfusion injury and heart transplant.

Fay joined Mewburn Ellis LLP in 2019 and qualified as a Chartered Patent Attorney and European Patent Attorney in 2024. She has a Postgraduate Certificate in IP from Queen Mary University (2021) and obtained the Intellectual Property Litigation Certificate under the IPReg Rules in 2024.