The Cambridge office of Goodwin has a specialist technology and life sciences team that is 'very engaged, pragmatic and creative, and so able to solve more complex issues'. It is part of a global practice that acts for biotechnology companies across the entire corporate lifecycle, as well as advising major venture capital and investment firms. The key practitioners are David Mardle , who has extensive experience in M&A and capital markets; commercial IP specialist Malcolm Bates, who is a key adviser to pioneering small activating RNA (RNAa) therapeutics company MiNA Therapeutics; and contracts expert Tim Worden , who handles licensing and partnering deals, R&D agreements, clinical trials agreements and distribution agreements. Up-and-coming partner Elizabeth Rhodes is also highly recommended.
Biotechnology in East Anglia
Goodwin
Responsables de la pratique:
Malcolm Bates; David Mardle; Tim Worden
Autres avocats clés:
Elizabeth Rhodes
Les références
‘Goodwin have been following our business journey almost since inception and be part of our expanded team. They are both very knowledgeable, committed to help the client and always available to prioritise work to get things over the line quickly.’
‘They know the sector well and have undertaken numerous similar transactions and know the major players in the field.’
‘David Mardle and Malcolm Bates are exceptional partners. They have been following our business journey almost since inception and be part of our expanded team. They are both very knowledgeable, committed to helping the client and always available to prioritise work to get things over the line quickly.’
Principaux clients
CMR Surgical
Gimv
Cambridge Innovation Capital
Panakes Partners
Seroba Life Sciences
Hadean Ventures
Oxford Science Enterprises plc (“OSE”)
SV Health Managers LLP (“SV Health”)
Sofinnova Partners (“Sofinnova”)
Longwood Fund IV LP (“Longwood”)
Chemify
Evonetix
Synaffix
MiNA
WuXi Biologics
Renaissance Pharma Ltd.
Tay Therapeutics
Traverse Biotech
Polpharma Biologics
Stalicla
Closed Loop Medicine
Calypso Biotech
Principaux dossiers
- Advised Synaffix on a number of licensing and collaboration agreements with MacroGenics Inc., ABL Bio, Inc. SOTIO Biotech and Innovent Biologics.
- Advised CMR Surgical on their recent US$165 million fundraising. The funding round was led by all of its major existing investors, including Ally Bridge Group, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Escala Capital, LGT and its affiliate impact investing platform Lightrock, RPMI Railpen, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Tencent and Watrium.
- Advised Closed Loop Medicine in a global co-development partnership with Pharmanovia, to provide dose optimised personalised therapies.
Taylor Wessing LLP
Taylor Wessing LLP in Cambridge 'provides a highly proficient and accessible legal support to biotechs'. The group assists spin-outs, early-stage and multinational companies, as well as their investors, and also handles the commercialisation of new products in the life sciences and deep tech sectors for the global market. IP licensing specialist Adrian Toutoungi and VC investment partner Ross McNaughton lead 'a dynamic team that works extremely well together to support some of the most innovative biotech start-up clients in the UK'. Life sciences licensing and commercialisation partner Colin McCall is 'top-notch, a solid go-to collaborator across all types of legal contract'. Up-and-coming partner Tasmina Goraya also stands out.
Responsables de la pratique:
Adrian Toutoungi; Ross McNaughton
Autres avocats clés:
Colin McCall; Charlie Adams; Oli Denne; Tasmina Goraya
Les références
‘The team at Taylor Wessing has been extremely helpful during our fundraising process. They fully understand our needs and challenges as a biotechnology company whilst facilitating our engagement with VCs. ’
‘We have mainly dealt with Colin McCall, who is amazing with collaborations, and Ross McNaughton, who has been helping with the investment part and dealing with VCs.’
‘Colin McCall has shepherded numerous high-tech businesses in the Cambridge ecosystem through their early growth. His sector knowledge is second-to-none and he has a razor-sharp focus on what issues are of concern and what can be let go of.’
Principaux clients
Apollo Therapeutics
BaseImmune
Tagomics
Infinitopes
Camena Biosciences
Theramex
Alveogene
Pfizer
Neobe
Multiomic Health
Principaux dossiers
- Advised Apollo Therapeutics Group Limited in relation to their $260 million series C fundraise. Apollo is a Cambridge-headquartered biopharmaceutical company progressing transformative treatments based on breakthrough discoveries. This deal was the largest UK private life sciences fundraise of 2023.
- Acting for Pfizer in the UK in patent revocation proceedings against uniQure. This innovator vs innovator dispute concerns Pfizer’s and uniQure’s rival gene therapy products for the treatment of haemophilia B.
- Advised Infinitopes, a spin-out from Cancer Research UK, on all aspects of its Series Seed fundraise. Infinitopes is working at the cutting edge of antigen discovery, immunology, vaccinology to create highly efficient cancer vaccines targeting a range of different cancers.
Mills & Reeve LLP
Mills & Reeve LLP has a large, cross-office life sciences practice led by experienced partner James Fry in Cambridge. The firm is a key adviser to numerous global organisations, among them GSK, as well as new startups, high-growth companies, and highly regarded university research groups. The multi-disciplinary offering service calls up on funds specialist Dona Ardeman, corporate partner Jonathan Greenwood, employment expert Melanie James, corporate finance adviser Zickie Lim and many others to support biotechnology clients. Fry recently assisted F-star Therapeutics with a collaboration and licence agreement with a global pharmaceutical company.
Responsables de la pratique:
James Fry
Autres avocats clés:
Dona Ardeman; Jonathan Greenwood; Melanie James; Zickie Lim
Principaux clients
GSK
Illumina
CMR Surgical
Neurocrine Biosciences
F-star Therapeutics
Coloplast
NRG Therapeutics
PhoreMost
Instil Bio
Calypso Biotech
Sphere Fluidics
Sanger Institute
Wavebreak Therapeutics
Mission Therapeutics
Oxford Biomedica
ImmuOne
Kadans
Amano Enzyne
Rinri Therapeutics
RNAvate
Pivotal Earth
Principaux dossiers
- Advised F-star Therapeutics on its strategic discovery collaboration and licence agreement with global pharmaceutical company Takeda. Also advised F-star on its second licence agreement with Takeda for the further development of a novel next-generation immuno-oncology bispecific antibody.
- Advised Orbit Service Partners Inc., an emerging provider of innovative solutions in the field of public health, on a groundbreaking licence and collaboration agreement with Verily, an Alphabet precision health technology company based in South San Francisco, USA, to introduce the Debug programme in Barbados and the Caribbean.
- Acted for Autolus Therapeutics Limited on the grant of a lease of Nucleus, Stevenage from Forge Life Sciences (a joint venture between Reef Group and UBS). The property is a 70,000 square foot purpose built GMP manufacturing facility in Stevenage. Provided assistance on real estate and construction works throughout the matter from development to completion of the facility.
Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP has a prominent life sciences group that is 'trustworthy and consistently produces high-quality work with very quick turnaround'. Led from Cambridge by IP, IT and commercial partner Rachel Bradley, and from Oxford by technology transfer specialist Chris Shelley, the practice provides advice on corporate transactions, employment law, IP and commercial issues. Employment partner Hilary Aldred and commercial property managing associate Giorgia Mayes play key roles in the practice. Bradley recently advised US health technology company Flatiron Health Inc. on data protection and GDPR issues concerning new product offerings.
Responsables de la pratique:
Rachel Bradley; Chris Shelley
Autres avocats clés:
Hilary Aldred; Giorgia Mayes; Alice Kochar
Les références
‘An exceptional practice with highly qualified partners and associates. Trustworthy and consistently producing high quality work with very quick turnaround.’
‘Rachel Bradley and Alice Kochar are both very approachable, knowledgeable with excellent understanding of the industry, providing a high quality service. Rachel is highly competent, understands the needs of our business and always willing to go above and beyond to provide a highly skilled service in the minimum time possible.’
‘The entire team at Penningtons exhibits exceptional expertise in their respective specialisation. Regardless of the individual we interact with, we consistently receive exceptional service at a fair price. Compared to other practices, we appreciate the swift accessibility to the necessary contacts and the rapid turnaround for required tasks.’
Principaux clients
The Company of Biologists Limited
Metrion Biosciences
Cyocell, (part of Oxford Gene Technology)
Motor Neurone Disease Association
Abcam PLC
Synox Therapeutics
MitoRx Therapeutics Limited
Flatiron Health, Inc.
Crescendo Biologics Limited
MaMedica Ltd
Syntherix Limited
International headache Society
Principaux dossiers
- Advised Motor Neurone Disease Association, a charity focused on improving access to care, research and campaigning for people affected by motor neurone disease, on EU Commission-funded consortium clinical trial agreements, entered into by the charity alongside various academic institutions and biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
- Advised Cytocell/Oxford Gene Technology on commercial contracts for their Cambridge site, including CDAs and master services agreements.
- Advised Flatiron Health is a health technology company, headquartered in the United States, which is an independent affiliate of the Roche Group, on the impact of UK data protection and EU GDPR requirements on Flatiron’s health-tech products and services.