Pharmaceuticals
LIFE SCIENCES AND BIOCHEMISTRY
Leveraging Patent Portfolios
Our professionals routinely assist legacy and start-up companies in the acquisition and exploitation of patent portfolios of cutting edge research in the areas of pharmaceuticals, drug formulation, medical technology, drug screening, inflammation inhibitors, regulation of skin pigmentation, testing for environmental pollution, novel treatments of septic shock, and water and food quality testing. We have an exceptional track record in identifying and protecting inventions involving:
- Pain regulation
- Tissue grafting
- Cloning/gene expression/protein production, isolation and characterization
- Cell surface expressional
- Medical/surgical anesthetic devices
- Biocidal formulations and coatings
- Toxicity screening
- Enzymatic activity assays
- Drug delivery systems
- Developing Portfolio Strategy
We believe that a pragmatic and strategic approach is necessary to ensure that every portfolio is strong on defense as well as on offense. Whether it is a core, a platform, a fence-picket or a poker-chip technology, Dunlap Codding has the depth of experience and tools necessary to help our clients determine whether it is an asset or simply just an expense.
Chemistry and Chemicals
Chemistry is one of the fundamental foundations of science and technology. Emerging chemical research and experimentation continually produce innovations that shape the field of raw materials and affects the lives of every person on the planet.
Dunlap Codding is fortunate to work with and contribute to the success of many of the leading researchers and entrepreneurs in these areas. From nano-fibers to synthetic and recombinant polymers, Dunlap Codding consistently provides clients with broad-based, cost-effective patent prosecution in the chemical arts.
The depth of our skill and experience is unmatched in our region. We represent several of the largest chemical companies in the world and have shepherded the development of complex patent portfolios and transactional items.
Selected Clients
Invista S.a.r.l. is one of the world’s largest integrated fibers and polymers businesses. The company has a powerful portfolio of some of the most recognized global brands—Lycra®, Stainmaster®, Cordura®—for example. Built on a heritage of innovation, Invista owns more than 700 unique pending or granted U.S. patents, with corresponding patents in nearly all the countries where they have a business presence. We were honored to be one of Invista’s preferred providers of intellectual property services supporting their chemical intermediates and performance fiber initiatives. As part of these efforts, we wrote and prosecuted patents on hundreds of Invista technologies and provided strategic planning and facilitated innovation services to maintain Invista’s technological lead. Notably, Invista relied on our chemical engineering and chemistry expertise for transactional matters requiring complex reviews of freedom to operate, infringement, and invalidity concerns. Recently we provided Invista with the due diligence analysis and opinions required for the placement and construction of a chemical plan requiring a capital investment of more than $1 billion dollars.
Cristal USA Inc. is the United States arm of Cristal Arabia, one of the largest titanium dioxide and performance chemicals producers in the world. As part of our representation of Cristal, we are responsible for the strategic development and management of Cristal’s intellectual property portfolio, including the patent assets of Millennium Inorganic Chemicals—a wholly owned subsidiary of Cristal. Cristal and Millennium’s technologies encompass titanium dioxide, titanium metal, performance chemicals, and DeNOx technologies for removing nitrous oxide from the exhaust of internal combustion engines. We have developed a proprietary process for the identification of patenting opportunities, and use the process in facilitated sessions with technical and business personnel of Millennium. This proprietary process currently tracks more than 100 companies and approximately 1,000 intellectual property documents.
We work with DuPont Performance Elastomers to facilitate the development of new technologies and patenting strategies around DPE’s core elastomer technologies. In addition to such strategic planning, we provide assistance and guidance to DuPont’s in-house legal staff and technical champions.
Technology Focus:
Nanotechnology
We obtained multiple patent families for Dr. Daniel Resasco, a University of Oklahoma professor of chemical engineering. Dr. Resasco’s pioneering work in sulfur tolerant catalysts and nanotechnology resulted in the first method for making carbon nanotubes in commercial quantities.
Surface Technology
We represent international chemical companies such as SDC Technologies Inc., a world leader in the development and manufacturing of polymeric high-performance abrasion resistant coating systems for application to plastic and glass materials. Dunlap Codding helped SDC develop patent portfolios involving several chemical arts such as nanotechnology, material sciences, and state of the art functional surface coating technologies. SDC’s considerable patent portfolio secured its position as a world-wide industry leader providing the chemical marketplace with enhancements required for the materials of tomorrow.
Polymers
We work extensively with clients involved with polymers, polymeric coating compositions and resinous compositions having enhanced color, optical clarity, thermal shock, and impact resistance. Dunlap Codding obtained patent protection for Dr. William Franks’ innovative methods for polymerizing soybean oil. Dr. Franks’ methods led to the development of the first commercially available one hundred percent soybean oil based inks. Dunlap Codding also has expertise in the areas of petrochemicals and water repellent compositions for cellulose containing materials.
Environmental & Green Technologies
We have procured patent rights in various fields of environmental science. Dunlap Codding obtained patents for one of the first water-based inks that is completely free of volatile organic compounds. These inks are water-resistant upon curing and can be printed on polymer films. The inks have won numerous awards and accolades for the impact they have had on environmental quality and safety. Dunlap Codding was also privileged to successfully prosecute the patent that protects the state of the art technology for using sophisticated surfactants to remediate underground pollution. This new technology may also revolutionize the household detergent industry.
The challenges inherent in the specialized field of procuring and protecting chemical intellectual property rights mandate working with legal experts who are well versed in the chemical arts. Our diverse and knowledgeable team of patent attorneys and agents includes former research chemists with extensive chemical background at the doctoral level, a wealth of scientific knowledge gained from industry experience and a former corporate patent general counsel having responsibility for a chemical subsidiary of a major corporation.
Life Sciences
We provide the insight and practical advice required by innovative companies to compete effectively in the marketplace.
Over the past 20 years, life sciences, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical ventures set new records for research and capital investment. Just as the life sciences are the building blocks of life itself, new biotechnologies consistently push the intellectual property envelope, requiring highly specialized and focused representation. Dunlap Codding assists many of these emerging growth companies in the development of their business plans, as well as securing strategic life science patent portfolios that are used for offense as well as defense.
Our life sciences and pharmaceutical practice has grown with the evolving needs of our clients. This evolution is evident in the increased number of Ph.D. level scientists moving into the field of patent prosecution. Along with our experienced patent professionals, top caliber technical advisors having varied academic and industry backgrounds complete our Life Sciences and Pharmaceuticals Practice Group.
Our proficiencies are a reflection of our extensive legal and scientific backgrounds including Doctorate and other advanced degrees in Chemistry, Botany, Plant Physiology, Population, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. We have also served as adjunct faculty members at several universities including the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and Oklahoma City University School of Law.
Our clients benefit from our professionalism, efficiency, and devotion to their individual intellectual property needs. We provide advice and counseling to medical and biotechnology companies including high-tech startups, university laboratories, research institutions, and established biotechnology pioneers.
We provide the personal attention that results in successful patent portfolios. Dunlap Codding’s expertise extends into all areas of biotechnology including glycobiology, biochemistry, immunology, microbiology, virology, genetics, developmental biology, cell biology, molecular biology, pharmaceutical compositions, molecular diagnostics and techniques, and medical devices and equipment.
A Strategic Partnering Example—Medical Devices/Biotechnology
For a client with a medical device designed to maintain blood flow, we performed a complete state of the art search, analyzing more than 300 references. The current “map” contains more than 1,000 references—patent, technical, and literature.
- We brainstormed with engineering, legal, business and marketing teams to develop a hierarchy of chokepoints and “white space.”
- We facilitated innovation strategy meetings and currently maintain an online and proprietary database including visualization tools focused on the information collected and analyzed.
- We helped the client develop a patent strategy with a specific goal of market entry. Market entry was achieved within 18 months of project initiation.
Additional highlights of include:
Cutting Edge Biotechnology
We were instrumental in securing intellectual property protection for the first process for producing individual endogenously loaded soluble HLA molecules and on the first recombinant methods for producing hyaluronic acid, chondroitin, and heparin. These patent portfolios have led to the creation of five biotechnology companies in several Oklahoma and Texas metroplexes.
We were instrumental in securing broad platform intellectual property protection for preconditioning and treatment of an intrinsic cardiac nervous system using an implantable electrical stimulus.
Immunology
We secured pioneering intellectual property protection for the first process for producing individual endogenously loaded soluble major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. Our deep experience and skill in this area also extends to methods and processes for producing T Cell Receptor-mimics (TCRm) and the use of such mimics for the creation of peptides and antibodies for use in vaccines as well as assaying the potency of vaccines. We are pleased to have represented more than 12 U.S. and/or international companies in the field of immunology and we prosecute more than 100 patent applications worldwide per year on immunology-linked inventions.
We also have specific knowledge and experience in the areas of immune modulation, including the induction of targeted immune responses and the induction of specific immune tolerance, and antibody removal for transplantation technologies.
Oncology
We treat the field of oncology with a multi-disciplinary approach. Most biochemical inventions either have or hope to have some impact on the field of oncology. As such, our approach is to create a team of professionals with diverse backgrounds who can effectively and proactively protect a client’s oncology innovations. For example, we prosecuted and obtained the patent portfolio covering the fire recombinant methods for producing hyaluronic acid, chondroitin, and heparin. These glycosaminoglycans show excellent promise for oncological applications and we have extended the portfolio to cover their use as therapeutic and diagnostic tools. Additionally, many of our immunology clients perform research in the field of oncologic therapeutics—including the use of antibodies, cytolytic delivery of peptides, or conjugates for the targeting and treatment of specific forms of cancer, as well as other methods of upregulating the immune system to recognize cancerous cells as foreign. We are also experienced in diagnostic oncologic technologies, including the use of biomarkers and other diagnostic platforms for identification, progression, metastasis and prognosis.