Stephen Rafferty assists the Pharmaceutical Group in patent prosecution, patentability opinions, and freedom-to-operate opinions. He has extensive knowledge in the areas of organic and medicinal chemistry.

Prior to joining Wolf Greenfield, Stephen worked as a patent agent at a general practice firm in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he drafted and prosecuted chemical, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, mechanical, materials science, and agricultural science patent applications, in addition to assisting in patentability and freedom-to-operate opinions. Stephen was previously the Director of Medicinal Chemistry at Viamet Pharmaceuticals, a small venture-backed start-up company, where he led all chemistry efforts in Viamet’s oncology franchise. Prior to joining Viamet, Stephen also spent more than a decade as a Principal Scientist in Medicinal Chemistry at GlaxoSmithKline, Inc.

Stephen obtained his MA in Organic Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill under the direction of Professor Michael Crimmins. His graduate work focused on the total synthesis of the natural product, mucocin, involving the regio- and stereoselective cleavage of spiroketals.
  • Managed global (more than 30 countries) and domestic patent portfolios.
  • Performed freedom-to-operate and patentability searches and analyses.
  • Developed and maintained efficient and effective communication with clients.
  • Scientific Excellence Award, five R&D Recognition Awards, and Research Excellence Award at GlaxoSmithKline, Inc.
  • Burroughs Wellcome Fellow, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • ACS Award, Northeast Pennsylvania Section, University of Scranton


Scientific Publications

Eisner, JR; Abbott, DH; Bird, IM; Rafferty, SW; Moore, WR; Schotzinger, RJ. VT-464: A Novel, Selective Inhibitor of P450c17(CYP17)-17,20 Lyase for Castration-Refractory Prostate Cancer (Poster Presentation) 2012 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, San Francisco, CA, United States, February 2-4, 2012 (2012).

Pisle, ST; Spencer, SD; Pressler, HM; Troutman, SM; Eisner, JR; Rafferty, SW; Schotzinger, RJ; Moore, WR; Figg, WD. Activity of Oral VT-464, a Selective CYP17 Lyase Inhibitor in the LNCap Prostate Cancer Xenograft (Poster Presentation) 2012 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, San Francisco, CA, United States, February 2-4, 2012 (2012).

Rafferty, SW; Eisner, JR; Hoekstra, WJ; Higgins, AJ; Schotzinger, R. In-vitro Potency and Safety Index of Three Novel P450c17 17,20-Lyase Inhibitors (Poster Presentation) 92nd Annual ENDO Meeting, San Diego, CA, United States, June 19-22, 2010 (2010).

Norris, John David; Joseph, James David; Sherk, Andrea Barreto; Juzumiene, Dalia; Turnbull, Philip Stewart; Rafferty, Stephen William; Cui, Huaxia; Anderson, Erin; Fan, Daju; Dye, Delita Arnelle; et al Differential Presentation of Protein Interaction Surfaces on the Androgen Receptor Defines the Pharmacological Actions of Bound Ligands Chemistry & Biology (Cambridge, MA, United States) (2009), 16(4), 452-460.

Rafferty, Stephen. From selective PPAR ligands to PPAR pan-agonists. Oral Presentation (Invited Speaker) Advancing the Efficacy, Safety and Selectivity of Metabolic Disease Therapeutics, Chapel Hill, NC, March 17 - 19, 2008.

Rafferty, Stephen; Gampe, Robert; Han, Bajin; Randhawa, Sab A.; Stewart, Eugene L.; Yates, Christopher M. Benzoxazepinones: The discovery of a novel SARM template. Abstracts of Papers, 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, United States, August 19-23, 2007 (2007).

Guo, Jiasheng; Erickson, Greg A.; Fitzgerald, Russ N.; Matsuoka, Richard T.; Rafferty, Stephen W.; Sharp, Matthew J.; Sickles, Barry R.; Wisowaty, James C. An Efficient Synthesis of a Potent PPARpan Agonist. Journal of Organic Chemistry (2006), 71(21), 8302-8305.

Rafferty, Stephen; Banker, Pierette; Henke, Brad R.; Lambert, Millard H.; Oliver, William; Sternbach, Daniel D. From selective PPAR ligands to PPAR pan-agonists. Oral Presentation, 230th ACS National Meeting, Washington, DC, United States, Aug. 28-Sept. 1, 2005.

Rafferty, Stephen; Wisowaty, James; Matsuoka, Richard; Martin, Michael; Guo, Jiasheng. Highly regioselective addition of thiophenols to 2-(4-trifluoromethylphenyl)-4,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)thiazoles in the synthesis of PPAR agonists. Poster Presentation, 224th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, United States, August 18-22, 2002.

Presentation: The Discovery of Potent and Selective PPAR-alpha agonists
Authors: Stephen W. Rafferty, Peter J. Brown, Rodolfo Cadilla
Meeting: Glaxo-Wellcome International Chemistry Meeting (GWICM) in Verona, Italy
Date: April, 1999.

Crimmins, Michael T.; Rafferty, Stephen W. Regioselective and stereoselective reductive cleavage of 1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane alcohols. Tetrahedron Letters (1996), 37(32), 5649-5652.

Rafferty, Stephen W. The Regio- and Stereoselective Reductive Cleavage of Spiroketals, Oral Presentation, ACS North Carolina Section Meeting, Raleigh, North Carolina, April 1995.


Expand All

Stephen Rafferty assists the Pharmaceutical Group in patent prosecution, patentability opinions, and freedom-to-operate opinions. He has extensive knowledge in the areas of organic and medicinal chemistry.

Prior to joining Wolf Greenfield, Stephen worked as a patent agent at a general practice firm in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he drafted and prosecuted chemical, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, mechanical, materials science, and agricultural science patent applications, in addition to assisting in patentability and freedom-to-operate opinions. Stephen was previously the Director of Medicinal Chemistry at Viamet Pharmaceuticals, a small venture-backed start-up company, where he led all chemistry efforts in Viamet’s oncology franchise. Prior to joining Viamet, Stephen also spent more than a decade as a Principal Scientist in Medicinal Chemistry at GlaxoSmithKline, Inc.

Stephen obtained his MA in Organic Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill under the direction of Professor Michael Crimmins. His graduate work focused on the total synthesis of the natural product, mucocin, involving the regio- and stereoselective cleavage of spiroketals.
  • Managed global (more than 30 countries) and domestic patent portfolios.
  • Performed freedom-to-operate and patentability searches and analyses.
  • Developed and maintained efficient and effective communication with clients.
  • Scientific Excellence Award, five R&D Recognition Awards, and Research Excellence Award at GlaxoSmithKline, Inc.
  • Burroughs Wellcome Fellow, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • ACS Award, Northeast Pennsylvania Section, University of Scranton

Scientific Publications

Eisner, JR; Abbott, DH; Bird, IM; Rafferty, SW; Moore, WR; Schotzinger, RJ. VT-464: A Novel, Selective Inhibitor of P450c17(CYP17)-17,20 Lyase for Castration-Refractory Prostate Cancer (Poster Presentation) 2012 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, San Francisco, CA, United States, February 2-4, 2012 (2012).

Pisle, ST; Spencer, SD; Pressler, HM; Troutman, SM; Eisner, JR; Rafferty, SW; Schotzinger, RJ; Moore, WR; Figg, WD. Activity of Oral VT-464, a Selective CYP17 Lyase Inhibitor in the LNCap Prostate Cancer Xenograft (Poster Presentation) 2012 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, San Francisco, CA, United States, February 2-4, 2012 (2012).

Rafferty, SW; Eisner, JR; Hoekstra, WJ; Higgins, AJ; Schotzinger, R. In-vitro Potency and Safety Index of Three Novel P450c17 17,20-Lyase Inhibitors (Poster Presentation) 92nd Annual ENDO Meeting, San Diego, CA, United States, June 19-22, 2010 (2010).

Norris, John David; Joseph, James David; Sherk, Andrea Barreto; Juzumiene, Dalia; Turnbull, Philip Stewart; Rafferty, Stephen William; Cui, Huaxia; Anderson, Erin; Fan, Daju; Dye, Delita Arnelle; et al Differential Presentation of Protein Interaction Surfaces on the Androgen Receptor Defines the Pharmacological Actions of Bound Ligands Chemistry & Biology (Cambridge, MA, United States) (2009), 16(4), 452-460.

Rafferty, Stephen. From selective PPAR ligands to PPAR pan-agonists. Oral Presentation (Invited Speaker) Advancing the Efficacy, Safety and Selectivity of Metabolic Disease Therapeutics, Chapel Hill, NC, March 17 - 19, 2008.

Rafferty, Stephen; Gampe, Robert; Han, Bajin; Randhawa, Sab A.; Stewart, Eugene L.; Yates, Christopher M. Benzoxazepinones: The discovery of a novel SARM template. Abstracts of Papers, 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, United States, August 19-23, 2007 (2007).

Guo, Jiasheng; Erickson, Greg A.; Fitzgerald, Russ N.; Matsuoka, Richard T.; Rafferty, Stephen W.; Sharp, Matthew J.; Sickles, Barry R.; Wisowaty, James C. An Efficient Synthesis of a Potent PPARpan Agonist. Journal of Organic Chemistry (2006), 71(21), 8302-8305.

Rafferty, Stephen; Banker, Pierette; Henke, Brad R.; Lambert, Millard H.; Oliver, William; Sternbach, Daniel D. From selective PPAR ligands to PPAR pan-agonists. Oral Presentation, 230th ACS National Meeting, Washington, DC, United States, Aug. 28-Sept. 1, 2005.

Rafferty, Stephen; Wisowaty, James; Matsuoka, Richard; Martin, Michael; Guo, Jiasheng. Highly regioselective addition of thiophenols to 2-(4-trifluoromethylphenyl)-4,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)thiazoles in the synthesis of PPAR agonists. Poster Presentation, 224th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, United States, August 18-22, 2002.

Presentation: The Discovery of Potent and Selective PPAR-alpha agonists
Authors: Stephen W. Rafferty, Peter J. Brown, Rodolfo Cadilla
Meeting: Glaxo-Wellcome International Chemistry Meeting (GWICM) in Verona, Italy
Date: April, 1999.

Crimmins, Michael T.; Rafferty, Stephen W. Regioselective and stereoselective reductive cleavage of 1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane alcohols. Tetrahedron Letters (1996), 37(32), 5649-5652.

Rafferty, Stephen W. The Regio- and Stereoselective Reductive Cleavage of Spiroketals, Oral Presentation, ACS North Carolina Section Meeting, Raleigh, North Carolina, April 1995.