Nick is a partner at Kilburn & Strode and head of the firm’s Life Sciences & Chemistry group in London. Clients globally recognise him for his specialisation in the biosciences, with significant clients in the areas of biotechnology and medical devices. His expertise lies in immunotherapy (in particular, T cells and antibodies), RNA interference, nanotechnology, recombinant DNA technology, diagnostics and microparticle technology.
His passions include working with biotechnology companies to add value by building strong patent portfolios aligned to their strategic goals, designing and implementing patenting strategies and providing commercial and strategic advice on third party rights in due diligence exercises. Throughout his career, Nick has advised numerous clients from initial funding through to their eventual IPO.
Nick’s experience and success in prosecution and opposition at the European Patent Office means that he is often asked to deal with cutting edge and high profile cases. For example, he represented The Johns Hopkins University in the seminal case that set the 'plausibility' test for the circumstances in which data generated after the filing date can be used to support inventive step in a European patent (T1329/04), and fronts the effort to help secure European protection for Harvard College’s cutting-edge work on the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system.
When not working with clients to develop and deliver their IP strategies, Nick is responsible for delivery of Life Sciences & Chemistry group’s strategic plan.