Overview
Matt Duffey counsels clients in creating and carrying out strategies for protecting intellectual property, including patent prosecution and opinion work in chemical, biochemical, and pharmaceutical technologies.
Having a background as both a scientist and inventor, Matt provides valuable insight to firm clients. In particular, Matt draws on his extensive knowledge of organic and medicinal chemistry, including reaction methods development, complex organic synthesis, and drug discovery and development.
Prior to his law practice, Matt was a medicinal chemist in oncology drug discovery at Millennium Pharmaceuticals (now Takeda Pharmaceuticals) engaging in all aspects of small molecule drug discovery for several biological targets. There, he contributed to multiple therapeutics reaching clinical development and was a co-inventor on at least 10 issued US patents.
Matt earned his PhD in organic chemistry from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. His research encompassed asymmetric catalysis, new organic reaction methods, and natural product synthesis.
Activities
- Boston Intellectual Property Law Association
- Active in pro bono work with New England Innocence Project
- As a law student, Matt worked in Suffolk University Law School’s Innocence Clinic, which partners with Massachusetts’ Committee for Public Counsel Services Innocence Program and the New England Innocence Project to identify and overturn wrongful criminal convictions.
Recognition
- NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship – University of Pennsylvania
- Burroughs-Wellcome Fellowship – University of North Carolina
- Phi Beta Kappa – Virginia Tech
Scientific Publications
- “Discovery of TAK-981, a First-in-Class Inhibitor of SUMO-Activating Enzyme for the Treatment of Cancer.” J. Med. Chem. 2021, 64, 2501-2520.
- “Probing the roles of SUMOylation in cancer cell biology by using a selective SAE inhibitor.” Nature Chemical Biology, 2017, 13, 1164-1171.
- “Discovery of a potent and orally bioavailable benzolactam-derived inhibitor of Polo-Like Kinase 1 (MLN0905).” J. Med. Chem. 2012, 55, 197.
- “MLN0905, a small-molecule PLK1 inhibitor, induces antitumor responses in human models of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.” Mol. Cancer Ther. 2012, 11, 2045.
- “Design and optimization of potent and orally bioavailable tetrahydronaphthalene Raf inhibitors.” J. Med. Chem. 2011, 54, 1836.
- “Discovery and optimization of pyrazoline compounds as B-Raf inhibitors.” Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2010, 20, 4800.
- “Discovery and optimization of N-acyl and N-aroylpyrazolines as B-Raf kinase inhibitors.” Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2010, 20, 4795.
- “Total syntheses of the assigned structures of Lituarines B and C.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 422.
- “Diversity-Oriented synthesis of polyketide natural products via iterative chemo- and stereoselective functionalization of polyenoates: development of a unified approach for the C(1-19) segments of Lituarines A-C” Org. Lett. 2005, 7, 139.
- “Bifunctional molecular linchpins: A three-component coupling protocol employing 2-bromoallyltrimethylsilane.” Synlett 2004, 16, 1363.
- “Enantioselective synthesis of Borrelidin.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 1459.
- “Enantio- and diastereoselective reductive aldol reactions with iridium-Pybox catalysts.” Org. Lett. 2001, 3, 1829.
- “Rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective reductive aldol reaction.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 4528.
- “Simple metal alkoxides as effective catalysts for the hetero-aldol-Tishchenko reaction.” Org. Lett. 1999, 1, 1427.
