Jane Liu

Jane is an associate in our Chemistry and Life Sciences teams.  She brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her work, drawing on her background at the intersection of chemistry and biology as well as a keen interest in bioinformatics, cheminformatics and the accelerating the role of AI technologies in the life sciences.

Jane works with clients at all stages of patent lifecycle, from drafting and prosecution to opposition and appeal proceedings.  She also advises on freedom‑to‑operate and related opinion work, helping clients navigate risk and make informed strategic decisions.  She carried out a secondment with a major multinational pharmaceutical company where she gained first-hand experience of strategic portfolio development.  This experience strengthened her commercial awareness and allows her to support in‑house teams with practical, business-focused advice.

Qualifications and Technical Background

Jane holds an MSci degree in Natural Sciences and a PhD in Chemical Biology, both from the University of Cambridge.  Her doctoral research focused on developing next‑generation sequencing methods to map DNA damage, with experience in organic chemistry, molecular biology and data analysis. She joined Mewburn Ellis in 2019 and qualified as both a Chartered UK Patent Attorney and European Patent Attorney in 2023. 

She has since been developing her machine‑learning expertise, strengthening her understanding of data‑driven discovery and modern computational approaches to innovation.  This complements her strong interest in bioinformatics and cheminformatics, and she is particularly interested in how machine‑learning‑enabled discoveries are reshaping modern research pipelines.

Jane has experience in technologies including:

• Nucleic acids and sequencing platforms
• Antibody therapies, including production, purification and downstream processing
• Bioinformatics and cheminformatics, including applications of AI and machine learning in life sciences
• Small-molecule pharmaceuticals
• Nature‑based materials and plant‑based foods, including sustainable alternatives

Professional Career

Jane works with a wide range of clients including UK and European universities, spin-outs, early-stage biotech companies, and global pharmaceutical corporations. 

As a member of the Mewburn Ellis sustainability committee, Jane is actively involved in the firm’s broader sustainability initiatives.  She also engages in discussions around green chemistry, nature‑based materials, and plant‑based technologies and has written articles on these topics.