Life Science Intellectual Property Services
Alexandra J. Baran, Ph.D.
Registered Patent Agent
Alexandra J. ("Sandy") Baran, Ph.D., has over 35 years of life science industry experience, with over 25 years as a patent practitioner. As a registered U.S. Patent Agent, Sandy's practice covers a wide variety of intellectual property (IP) services including patent procurement, patent counseling, IP due diligence and litigation support with technical expertise in organic and medicinal chemistry, immunology, pharmacology, protein chemistry, antibodies, medical diagnostics, microbiology, industrial biotechnology, and biocides. Sandy specializes in patent portfolio management, analysis and due diligence for pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients. Prior to establishing her own independent practice, Sandy was in-house at Abgenix (now part of Amgen) after spending 7 years at the international law firms Cooley Godward LLP and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.
Sandy has extensive management and scientific experience with the particular concerns of research organizations and start-up biopharmaceutical companies. Before changing careers to practice patent law, she was a research chemist at two specialty chemical companies and is the former Vice President, Technology Management, at Houston Biotechnology Incorporated (HBI). As a publicly held, development-stage company, HBI specialized in the research and development of biopharmaceutical products for the prevention and treatment of ophthalmic and neurologic disorders. During Sandy's seven-year tenure at HBI, her responsibilities included management of the company’s patent portfolio, licensing arrangements, academic institutional relations, and corporate regulatory affairs.
Sandy received her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Stanford University and an A.B. in chemistry and English magna cum laude from Mt. Holyoke College in Massachusetts, where she was admitted to Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi. Sandy has authored numerous scientific research and business publications and has lectured on the licensing and acquisition of intellectual property and chemical patent law. See resume for details and citations. During Sandy's earlier career as a research scientist, she was the named inventor on seven U.S. patents for chemical compositions. Sandy is fluent in French and has a reading knowledge of German.
Representative Patents
U.S. Patent No. 10,301,319; U.S. Patent No. 10,815,246: pH Pharma Co., Ltd. - “Thailanstatin Analogs”-Cancer treating Antibody-Drug-Conjugates (ADC) in pre-clinical development.
U.S. Patent No. 10,806,735: pH Pharma Co., Ltd. - “Use of Neutrophil Elastase Inhibitors in Liver Disease” - Small molecule treatment for NASH in Phase II clinical trials.U.S. Patent No. 9,365,799: SynGest, Inc. - “Extraction of Immobilized Oil Using Mixtures of Food Grade Solvents” - industrial process for production of food-grade oils.U.S. Patent No. 9,206,407: Sophoro Biotechnologies - "Chemically Modified Sophorolipids and Uses Thereof” - chemicals for industrial production of cellulases in fungi.U.S. Patent No. 8,722,715: NovaBay Pharmaceuticals - “Antimicrobial Oxazolidinone, Hydantoin and Imidazolidinone Compositions” - antibiotic and antifungal compounds and methods.U.S. Patent No. 8,114,909: XenoPort - “Treating or Preventing Restless Legs Syndrome Using Prodrugs of GABA Analogs” - Horizant® (Glaxo), gabapentin enacarbil ER tablets for treatment of RLS.U.S. Patent No. 7,700,652: Xenoport - “Treating Urinary Incontinence Using Prodrugs of GABA Analogs” - gabapentin enacarbil.U.S. Patent No. 7,288,253: Abgenix (now Amgen) - “Antibodies Against Parathyroid Hormone” - treatment for hyperparathyroidism.U.S. Patent No. 6,274,630: SunPharm, Inc. (University of Florida Research Foundation) - “Method of Inhibiting Biosynthesis of EIF5A”, U.S. Patent No. 6,258,931: “Deoxyhypusine Reagent and Peptides”, U.S. Patent No. 6,248,866: “Hypusine Reagent for Peptide Synthesis” - series of patents protecting a method for the production of hypusine, an unusal, naturally occurring amino acid.U.S. Patent No. 5,721,127; U.S. Patent No. 5,721,128; U.S. Patent No. 5,731,174, U.S. Patent No. 5,736,375: Genencor - “Pullulanase” - family of patents protecting Genencor’s food-processing enzyme Optimax® L-1000.U.S. Patent No. 5,786,144: American Museum of Natural History - “Methods & Compositions for Identification of Species Origin of Caviar” - monitoring of commercial caviar to prevent sturgeon over-fishing.U.S. Patent No. 5,616,321: Bayer Corporation - “Method of Treating Bacterial Meningitis with Anti-tumor Necrosis Factor Antibody” - early example of an antibiotic monoclonal antibody.A.J. Baran Consulting, Inc.
Alexandra J. Baran, Ph.D., Principal
