Qualifications

Chartered Patent Attorney (CPA)
European Patent Attorney (EPA)
UPC Professional Representative
PGCert Intellectual Property Law
DPhil - Genetics, University of Oxford
MA - Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge

Experience

Molecular Biology
Genetic Engineering Techniques
Pharmaceuticals
Gene Therapy
Viral Vectors
Mechanical Engineering
Cancer Biology
Stem Cells
Microbiology
Antibiotics and Bacteriophage Therapies
Plant Genetics
Medical Devices and Implants
Medical Imaging
Oppositions
Registered Designs

David is experienced in filing, prosecuting and opposing patents, primarily in Europe and the UK. He also deals with matters in other jurisdictions including the USA, Japan, China, India, Canada, and Australia. This has involved development of portfolios and efficient prosecution via International Examination under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, EPO PCT Direct and via the Patent Prosecution Highway in order to achieve more rapid and efficient grant of patents internationally.

He works for a range of clients, from small companies and university spin-outs to multinational corporations. Similarly, he has experience in a wide variety of subject matters. In the life sciences David has particular experience in the areas of molecular biology, genetic engineering techniques, cancer medicine, pharmaceuticals, viral vectors, vaccines, stem cells, microbiology, bioreactors, laboratory equipment, medical devices and implants, and medical imaging technologies. He also works with mechanical and engineering subject matters, notable examples being waste treatment devices, packaging for drugs, chemical handling methods, consumer goods, and fishing.

David’s technical abilities and approach led to him being “recommended” by the IAM1000. David’s 2024 entry in the IAM1000 directory says that he is “an expert in the biosciences […] extremely hardworking, responding to queries promptly, […]. He is organised and plans meticulously to effectively manage patent portfolios. He keeps a level head, thinks laterally and creatively, helping to refine ideas, and provides expert input when drafting patent applications and responding to examiners.”  David’s entry in the IAM1000 directory for 2023 said that he “easily knows how to maximise the strategic value of large-scale international patent portfolios. His technical expertise is a bonus for players in the life sciences space.” In 2022 the IAM1000 stated “David is a great European prosecution attorney, adept at managing large patent portfolios. He is smart, efficient and creative when it comes to obtaining optimum patent protection.”

David’s academic background is in molecular genetics and biochemistry. He has a degree in Natural Sciences, specializing in genetics, from the University of Cambridge, which included additional studies in biochemistry, molecular cell biology, organic chemistry, mathematics and geology. David then went on to study at the University of Oxford where he was awarded a DPhil for his research on the nuclear architecture of telomeres and how changes in nuclear organization affect genetic recombination.

Next he moved to the US and the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, as an International Visiting Fellow. His work at NIH included mapping the genome-wide DNA damage caused by anti-cancer chemotherapeutic drugs and characterizing novel chemotherapeutic drugs, in particular topoisomerase II inhibitors.

In the arena of microbiology, David is a former staff editor at the Society for General Microbiology (now the Microbiology Society), where he worked particularly on the Journal of General Virology.

Following joining the patents profession, David attended Queen Mary, University of London to study for the Certificate in Intellectual Property Law, which he passed with Merit. He qualified as a European Patent Attorney in 2014 and as a Chartered Patent Attorney in 2015.