Spotlight on

BioProcessing & Industrial BioTech

Making bioproducts is far from easy, often requiring an in-depth understanding of cellular culture dynamics, cell biology & metabolism, fluid dynamics, process engineering, bioreactor design, biochemical and dynamic aspects of purification processes, process control, and data driven modelling. This work is absolutely crucial, without bioprocessing there is no product!  Conversely, improvements in any aspect of bioprocessing can have enormous value as even small productivity or quality improvements to such high value products are impactful, and improvements can often apply to multiple products.  

Our advanced bioprocessing team has extensive experience obtaining and defending IP in this complex field, both in relation to upstream and downstream processes innovation. We have a multidisciplinary team that mirrors the complexity and diversity of technical expertise of our clients working in this field, including experts in cell biology and biochemistry and their specific implications to bioprocessing, traditional bioprocessing including running and optimising fermentation processes, data & AI driven analysis of bioprocesses including for monitoring, prediction and optimisation of bioprocesses, dynamical modelling of bioprocesses, process engineering, and bioreactor design. 

We work together across different technical fields to make sure that all aspects are properly considered, so that the value of your IP is maximised. We understand intimately the complex technical, practical and commercial realities of working in this high value, highly regulated industry. We have successfully defended high value patent portfolios in this field, as well as helped our clients navigate freedom to operate. We are experts in drafting for success in all aspects of upstream and downstream processes. 

Read our Blogs

Cell-free systems and the next wave of biomanufacturing IP

Cell-free systems and the next wave of biomanufacturing IP

by Kate Fitzpatrick

Biomanufacturing is undergoing a structural shift. For decades, engineered cells have been the dominant production platforms, but a new paradigm is emerging: cell free systems.

Dr Tim Lu: “We can programme computers. Why can't we do that in biology?”

Dr Tim Lu: “We can programme computers. Why can't we do that in biology?”

by Richard Clegg

Dr Tim Lu is a pioneer in synthetic biology. He and his team are editing immune cells to upgrade the way they detect disease. His method introduces computer logic gate thinking, where cells ...

The Microbiome in Metabolic Health: more than a gut feeling?

The Microbiome in Metabolic Health: more than a gut feeling?

by Annabel Cardno

Metabolic health has traditionally been viewed through the lens of the host: diet, exercise, genetics, hormones and, more recently, pharmacological intervention. However, over the last decade, it has ...

Innovative Diagnostics: Can New Testing Transform Endometriosis Care?

Innovative Diagnostics: Can New Testing Transform Endometriosis Care?

by Frances Salisbury

The BBC covered an encouraging development this week in the diagnosis of endometriosis, a condition that is still all too often characterised by delay, uncertainty, and a reliance on invasive ...

Beyond PROTACs and molecular glues: where next for heterobifunctional drug discovery?

Beyond PROTACs and molecular glues: where next for heterobifunctional drug discovery?

by Annabel Cardno

A broader heterobifunctional tool emerges Targeted protein degradation has rapidly progressed from a conceptual curiosity to one of the most closely watched areas in drug discovery. As discussed in ...

Global considerations for innovators in microbial biostimulants and biocontrol agents

Global considerations for innovators in microbial biostimulants and biocontrol agents

by Ben Tolley

Our recent analysis found that global patent activity in microbial biostimulants and biocontrol agents is surging, with strong growth in both patent applications and granted patents. For a detailed ...

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Bioprocessing & Industrial Biotechnology - Protecting Innovation

With the development of increasingly advanced therapeutics and other products - from vaccines and cell therapies to food products and biofuels - bioprocessing and industrial biotechnology are becoming more important than ever.

Developing and scaling up biotechnological processes can be technically challenging and require significant investment in research and development.

Patent protection enables to secure these advancements and creates a competitive advantage for the innovators in this field.  It  is no surprise that patents covering platform technologies in biotech manufacturing are highly valuable and often challenged  by third parties.

Our team has significant  experience in drafting and defending bioprocessing patents.  We have successfully defended patents protecting antibody manufacturing and processing methods, including in multi-opponent EPO opposition proceedings.

We understand the challenges associated with developing bioprocessing and manufacturing methods.  Inventions in this field often lie on great technical stories that involve creative solutions to technical problems that only arise, or become particularly acute during large scale industrial processes.  For example, the recognition of a previously unnoticed problem during early-stage development, such as the discovery that certain cell culture components are the cause for problematic visual characteristics in the bioproduct, or that surprising loss of intact antibody yield during scaled-up manufacture is due to specific redox reactions in the cell culture fluid following fermentation, or that purification methods successfully used at laboratory scale introduce undesirable impurities into product that needs to be overcome when purification is scaled-up.  The research leading to the recognition of these problems and the steps taken to solve them in an imaginative way may form the basis of a strong inventive story which is worthy of patent protection, but one where an understanding of bioprocessing is needed to properly draft the strong patent applications.

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