Nan Wu

Wu serves as sole patent counsel for Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc., which closed its initial public offering in February, raising about $126.4 million.

"We built a patent portfolio for them, which was an integral part of the value when they went to the public market," she said, noting that the company's stock has nearly tripled since.

With hundreds of patents for treating rare diseases, Wu said, the company has several products in clinical trials, mostly orphan drugs.

"The financial climate is very good," she said. "Everyone has been successful raising money and all of our companies are well funded at this point. It's turning around, after a drought of IPOs for many years."

Wu also manages the entire patent portfolio of SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc., as well as conducting patent due diligence of products they are interested in licensing, she said.

The company focuses on therapies for cancer and infectious diseases.

On the transactional side of her practice, Wu said, "I counsel various venture funds for their investment in biotech/life science companies."

For instance, she routinely works with Sofinnova Ventures Inc. and TPG Biotech to conduct patent due diligence on investment opportunities, as well as working with their portfolio companies on various patent issues.

Wu, who was a research fellow at Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, holds a medical degree from Beijing University and a Ph.D. from Brown University.

- Pat Broderick