Antonia L. Sequeira

Beyond her many years in IP litigation and due diligence, Sequeira has industry experience in a clinical laboratory, emergency room and as a researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on a genome project.

That’s an advantage in her practice, which focuses on building patent portfolios and developing patent strategies across various technologies, including digital health, medical and biotech devices, bioinformatics, genomics and diagnostics, as well as software and internet-related technologies. Clients range from startups to large corporations, venture capitalists and universities.

“It helps me to understand their tech much more deeply because I have that experience,” Sequeira said of her background in biotechnology and genomics. “I’m drafting patent applications for their technology, and I’m also working very closely with the tech team, meeting with them and talking through what are their hot new innovations, what are they doing today, helping to figure out what might be patentable.”

Having founded two companies, Sequeira understands the types of issues young companies face in commercializing their products and services.

For example, she has helped medical device startup Mynosys Cellular Devices Inc. build its patent portfolio for its FDA-approved Zepto Capsulotomy System, designed to execute highly accurate capsulotomies during cataract surgery. Sequeira and her team also helped developed Facebook Inc.’s patent portfolio and manages portions of it, covering products such as Facebook Ads features, new Instagram features, and the latest Building 8 innovations.

Sequeira’s recent work for various companies has helped advance dozens of cutting-edge technologies, including an at-home male fertility kit, a virtual reality kit used by therapists to help patients overcome phobias, and an olfactory device for delivering Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other central nervous system drugs to the upper nasal cavity.

“My practice is unique because I focus on multiple different areas. My technical background is in bio, but I’ve spent years in software and devices as well,” Sequeira said. “My key expertise is really hitting the intersection of these different technologies. Currently, a lot of life science companies are getting into machine learning and building software platforms. It’s a new phase where people are crossing over, and attorneys have to try to understand both spaces.”

“It works perfectly with my background because I have expertise in both areas,” she added.

— Jennifer Chung Klam