Ryan C. Smith

Ryan C. Smith knows patents from the inside. He has a PhD in chemistry, and from his 15 years as a research scientist for healthcare companies, he is the inventor or co-inventor of more than 40 patents dealing with DNA sequencing, polymers and related areas.

For the last 10 years, Smith has used that knowledge and experience as a biotech patent attorney, specializing primarily in due diligence, portfolio management and especially patent prosecution before the USPTO and internationally.

Several years ago, he and colleagues developed a patent strategy for Allele Biotechnology, Inc. and helped it patent fluorescent proteins that Pfizer and Regeneron used in making their COVID-19 vaccines.

More recently, Smith obtained or applied for more than 40 U.S. and international patents for an ophthalmological tools company on surgical devices and methods and on small-molecule medications. "They're not just treating one particular ocular disease," he said about the client's work. "They have treatments for a wide variety of ocular diseases" as well as tools for surgery on the retina and cornea.

He represents a number of small pharmaceutical companies in obtaining patents here and in other countries. One client he can't identify has developed a small-molecule treatment that has shown great promise against prostate cancer. With those results, "we were able to draft patent applications and obtain a large number of patents both in the U.S. and internationally. And we are continuing to work on these matters for this client," Smith said. "This has great human impact."

For another client, he has "the privilege of working with a large pharmaceutical company and managing the international IP portfolio for a woman's health drug." The drug is a second-generation version made with heavy hydrogen, he said.

Another client is the agriculture technology company California Safe Soil. Smith drafted all its patent applications, both in the U.S. and internationally, concerning technology to recycle food tossed out by groceries and restaurants. "Our clients have developed ... a number of technologies to do what they call upcycle this [waste] into higher value products," he said. Duane Morris is also representing the client in litigation against one of its former licensees.

Smith particularly enjoys representing universities in securing patent protection. "We have several select academic institutions and research institutions that come to us because of word of mouth about our repetition for success," he said.

One large research university he works with "sends us their potentially highest valuable IP portfolio" to protect. "It's great to be on the front line ... for a new research idea," he said. The work is so important and exciting, Smith said, that he feels honored that the inventors have selected him to handle the prosecution for this work.

-- Don DeBenedictis