Dr. Weihong Hsing discussed IP protection for CAR-T cancer therapy

Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel intellectual property attorney Weihong Hsing, Ph.D., recently participated in the BiG (Biomedical Innovation Group) annual meeting in China.

This year’s meeting, held June 9-10 in Shanghai, was dominated by discussions of CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T-cell) therapy, a rapidly developing highly personalized anti-cancer technology that involves removing some of a patient’s own immune cells, reengineering them, and introducing the engineered cells to the patient’s body. Still in clinical trials, the first CAR-T treatments could potentially receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States before the end of the year.

Hsing served as a panelist during the meeting. She discussed considerations for IP protection of CAR-T technology, noting that well-planned IP strategies involving combinations of patents, trade secrets, know-how and other proprietary information can significantly increase the market entry barriers for CAR-T treatments.

Hsing, who had postdoctoral training in molecular biology at Princeton University, with a Ph.D in microbiology from University of Massachusetts and B.S. in biology from the University of Science and Technology of China, specializes in patent-related issues in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical arts. A partner at Panitch Schwarze, her practice involves the preparation and prosecution of patent applications, IP due diligence in mergers & acquisitions, opinion work on patent validity and infringement, rights to operate and patentability analyses, as well as technical support for patent litigation.

Prior to switching to the private practice of law, Hsing worked as a patent manager at Johnson & Johnson, where she drafted and prosecuted patent applications, undertook patent and prior art analysis, and assisted in strategic counseling and patent portfolio development and management. Before starting her legal career, she was a research scientist at Princeton University and a senior scientist at a biotech startup company. She also served as an adjunct professor for an IP licensing course at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law. To learn more, visit the firm’s website.

About Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP – Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP is a boutique intellectual property law firm with offices in Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. The firm’s IP law practitioners provide strategic litigation, licensing and counseling service relating to patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets, domain names and internet issues domestically and internationally. The firm’s long-standing relationships with a network of associates worldwide enable its attorneys and advisors to provide clients with global intellectual property advice and protection.