Joseph P. Meara, Ph.D., counsels clients in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries on domestic and international intellectual property strategies. He is a partner in the firm’s Chemical, Biotechnology, & Pharmaceutical Practice, the Health Care & Life Sciences and Energy Sectors, and the Food & Beverage Industry Team.

Joe’s practice extends to all aspects of IP portfolio management, patent procurement, non-infringement, freedom to operate and invalidity opinions, due diligence, and licensing. In addition, Joe has been actively involved in appeals to the board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as well as ex parte reexaminations and Patent Office Trials, serving as lead counsel for inter partes review proceedings both opposing and defending patents.

Joe’s practice spans a wide array of technical areas including pharmaceuticals and drug delivery, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and personalized medicine. He has extensive experience in renewable energy technology including biofuels and batteries, and in chemical and biochemical fields such as peptides, proteins, modified nucleotides and oligonucleotides, organic and enzymatic synthetic methods, catalysts, electrochemistry, composites, adhesives, and polymers.

Joe’s scientific experience includes several leadership positions at Molecumetics, Ltd., a start-up pharmaceutical company, where he served as intellectual property manager, project leader, and senior scientist. His research involved the design and synthesis of protease inhibitors, including antithrombotics and antibacterials. His chemical knowledge includes organic and peptide synthesis, combinatorial chemistry, and the use of solid-phase and high-throughput synthesis techniques in the creation of complex heterocyclic compounds.