Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is pleased to announce that Kwan-Ho “Alex” Chung, Ph.D. has joined the firm’s Intellectual Property practice group and Life Sciences industry team in Washington, D.C. Chung was most recently a partner at Perkins Coie LLP. Chung’s move to Sheppard Mullin follows the recent hire of life sciences IP partner, Jaime Choi, Ph.D., in February.
Chung's practice focuses on representing U.S., European, Korean and Japanese companies in the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and medical device industries. His extensive experience includes procuring, managing, evaluating, enforcing and defending patents and providing clients strategic IP counsel. He works with biotechnology and biopharma clients who are developing leading-edge technologies such as cell and gene therapy (including CAR-T cells, stem cells, viral vectors), immuno-oncology, CRISPR genome editing, RNA interference (RNAi), circular RNAs, targeted protein degradation (TPD), bispecific antibodies and antibody drug conjugate (ADC), pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
“Alex is another pillar in our strategic effort to continue to grow our Life Sciences team,” said Luca Salvi, chair of Sheppard Mullin. “His established foothold in the Korean market combined with our Seoul office will be valuable to our clients who do business in the Asia-Pacific region. His technical expertise is a highly valued addition to our Washington, D.C. office and firmwide.”
“We are pleased that Alex is joining our growing team,” said Scott Liebman, co-leader of Sheppard Mullin’s Life Sciences team. “His deep background in sophisticated biotechnology and biopharma patents further demonstrates our ability to work with some of the most innovative companies in the world.”
Daniel Yannuzzi, co-leader of Sheppard Mullin’s Intellectual Property practice group, remarked, “We’ve built a premier team of pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology and medical device patent attorneys that work with clients around the globe. Alex enhances our full-service intellectual property capabilities across a broad range of technical specialty areas on the East Coast and globally.”
Prior to his career in law, Chung worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he researched photoreceptor differentiation and designed engineered adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy vectors for clinical trials. He also co-invented a U.S. patent on microRNA-based RNAi expression vector, licensed to and currently marketed by one of the largest life sciences research and solution providers. Chung received his B.S. in Microbiology and M.S. in Immunology & Genetic Engineering from Seoul National University, his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan Medical School, and his J.D. from The George Washington University Law School. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.
About Sheppard Mullin’s Intellectual Property Practice Group
Sheppard Mullin is a leader in the protection of intellectual property rights, as well as in assisting our clients to exploit their commercial potential. The group has significant expertise in all laws governing patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, false advertising, unfair competition, counterfeiting and grey marketing. We also possess significant experience litigating in common forums for patent litigation, including in California, Delaware and the Eastern District of Texas, as well as before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board in inter partes review proceedings. Our prosecution and counseling team develops global IP portfolios, prepares opinions and performs product clearance. We perform IP due diligence for investors and acquirers of target IP. Our diverse client base ranges from Fortune 50 and multinational corporations to innovative start-ups and individuals across a wide spectrum of industries. Sheppard Mullin’s IP practice and partners are often recognized by Chambers, IAM Patent 1000, Managing IP, World Trademark Review, U.S. News and Best Lawyers, Law360 and The Daily Journal, among others.
About Sheppard Mullin’s Life Sciences Industry Team
Sheppard Mullin’s Life Sciences industry team represents a diverse client base in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic, digital health and medtech sectors, ranging from large publicly traded organizations to early and mid-stage start-up companies. Attorneys in the U.S., and internationally through our offices in London, Brussels, Seoul and Shanghai, assist companies with strategic issues in every phase of their growth cycle. Our team is comprised of a number of attorneys, patent agents and scientific advisors who possess hands-on research experience and advanced degrees, including in the areas of biochemistry, cell biology, chemistry, molecular biology, pharmacology and biomedical engineering, to fully support the legal needs of our clients.