Bioinformatics & Digital Health
We can deploy a multidisciplinary team of attorneys in this space to protect, defend and leverage effectively the resulting IP
Data science is transforming healthcare, from research and development through to commercialisation and beyond. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are increasingly driving innovation by accelerating drug discovery and advancing diagnostics. Bioinformatics tools have become indispensable for gaining insight from large and complex biomedical datasets, often created by the latest genomics sequencing technologies. Digital technologies are converging with medicine to improve health outcomes and patient care.
We can deploy a multidisciplinary team of attorneys in this space to protect, defend and leverage effectively the resulting IP. Apart from the challenging technical nature of the technologies, in-depth sector knowledge and experience of certain legal issues is required. This includes identifying the best approach for successfully navigating any restrictions surrounding the patentability of computer-implemented and information-based inventions.
Our size, collective expertise and truly collaborative approach enable us to provide a multidisciplinary team of specialist attorneys with the required technical and legal knowhow – combining the comprehensive sector knowledge of our Life Sciences team with our AI team’s expertise in bioinformatics, computer and software technology, devices and sensors. We work seamlessly with each other and with our client teams to develop a thorough understanding of the technology on which to build bespoke and robust IP strategies.
Examples of our work in this fast-developing field include working with Verinata Health (now a subsidiary of Illumina) on its non-invasive Verifi® test, which relies on bioinformatic analysis of sequencing data derived from circulating cell-free DNA in maternal blood to provide valuable information on foetal chromosomal health. For a number of years, we have worked with LifeScan on its glucose measurement and diagnostic technology, and more recently established a ground-breaking portfolio of digital health IP for a global healthcare company.
Meet the Bioinformatics & Digital Health team
Protecting genetic testing assays and computer-implemented methods
Carpmaels & Ransford represents a clinical and direct-to-consumer medical genetics company offering test panels covering many clinical areas, with a particular focus on pre pregnancy carrier screening, non-invasive prenatal screening, cancer screening, and detecting patient-specific genetic variations.
The technology involves the detection of genetic variations in patient blood samples. In maternal blood, this enables the determination of fetal genetic abnormalities (such as a chromosomal trisomy, e.g. Down’s syndrome) without the risks associated with invasive diagnostic tests such as amniocentesis.
The firm has helped to overcome complex excluded subject matter objections in these patents relating to computer-implemented inventions. Our understanding of the technology underlying the company and the associated patent challenges has helped us maximise patent protection available, and ensure the company’s patent portfolio is tailored to its business model.