Daniel W. Young, PhD
Shareholder
| Biotechnology
Overview
Dan Young provides strategic intellectual property counsel to life sciences companies, research institutions, and investors, and is recognized for developing creative solutions to complex patent issues. He partners with clients to develop and maintain patent portfolios covering biologics and small molecules, and to align patent and regulatory strategies to establish strong exclusivity positions around clinical programs.
Dan has extensive experience defending and conducting due diligence analyses, devising and implementing worldwide third-party patent risk management strategies, and addressing IP issues in transactional matters. He advises companies on patent strategy in relation to private placements, public offerings, debt financings, and mergers and acquisitions.
Dan frequently provides strategic counsel to company leadership teams on business decisions involving intellectual property. He provides executive team members and in-house counsel with insights to help them effectively communicate regarding intellectual property matters with company stakeholders, board members, science teams, shareholders, and others.
Dan also counsels businesses on resource allocation, planning, and monitoring budgets in relation to complex patent portfolios, including triaging inventions, aligning patenting efforts with evolving clinical research and development priorities and other business concerns, and developing and managing foreign filing programs. In conducting patent portfolio audits, Dan identifies and addresses blind spots for companies, helping them hit near and long-term business objectives involving intellectual property.
A recipient of a Novartis Presidential Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Dan did his post-doctoral research at the Novartis Institute for BioMedical Research and in the Mitchison Lab in the Department of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School. During this time, he was involved in an image-based genome-wide RNAi screen, and developed computational approaches to profile small-molecule libraries using multidimensional cell-based assays for lead discovery and characterization.
Dan’s doctoral work focused on understanding molecular mechanisms of tissue-specific gene regulation, and involved use of chromatin assays, gene profiling, and novel imaging techniques to elucidate epigenetic mechanisms of tissue-specific transcriptional control during cell growth and differentiation. During his master’s studies, Dan investigated the poroelastic material properties of bone tissue.
Before entering graduate school, Dan worked for several years as a mechanical engineer in the Hydraulics Laboratory at FMGlobal Research, and as a licensed engineering officer in the United States Merchant Marine. Dan served as an operating engineer aboard steam turbine and diesel-powered vessels in the Great Lakes and Mediterranean Sea.
Having close relationships with several military veterans, Dan volunteers his time doing pro bono work for veterans before the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
Dan is co-inventor of a US patent related to microscopic image analysis technology, and has co-authored more than 35 scientific research and review articles, including one that was voted a “Must Read” by the Faculty of 1000 Biology.
Experience
- Secured patents that survived invalidity challenges at the District Court level and before the PTAB
- Partnered with technical experts to conduct product investigations that informed patent litigation strategy against third-party competitors leading to findings of infringement
- Developed patent strategy and portfolio development for companies in the rare disease space and in the biologics space, including antibody, bispecific/multispecifics, and antibody drug conjugates as well as viral and non-viral gene therapy systems, including DNA and RNA based vectors
- Developed and analyzed patents involving nucleic acids such as RNA interference, CRISPR, miRNA, gapmers, exon-skipping, and other oligonucleotide formats as well as nucleic acid sequencing technologies
- Secured patents supporting findings of infringement leading to damages in the millions
- Conducted expert interviews and worked with experts in developing testimony for litigation, EP oppositions, and patent prosecution maters
- Collaborated with European counsel to develop and execute successful oppositions strategies
- Provided special counsel to bankruptcy trustees in relation to intellectual property, and assisted with maintenance, valuation, and transfers of such assets
- Drafted and negotiated patent license agreements
- Counseled clients on Bayh-Dole issues, including domestic manufacturing waivers and third-party assignment requests
- Developed and executed coordinated portfolio development strategies addressing double patenting issues as well as patent term adjustment and patent term extension concerns
Activities
- Co-chair, Wolf Greenfield's Washington, DC office
- Co-chair, Boston Intellectually Property Law Association (BIPLA) pro bono committee
- Past-President, BIPLA, formerly the Boston Patent Law Association (BPLA)
Recognition
- Repeatedly named to the The Best Lawyers in America®
- Recognized in the IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals
- Repeatedly named to the list of Massachusetts Rising Stars by Super Lawyers
Interests
Dan enjoys hockey, golf, boating, cycling, and spending time with family.