Experience

BA Ruskin Law LLC represents both public and private biotechnology and life science drug development companies in the US and Europe.

Before establishing BA Ruskin Law LLC, Barbara served as outside Intellectual Property (IP) Counsel for numerous corporate and academic clients in a diverse range of biotechnology, pharmaceutical and other life science related matters. As a partner in the IP Corporate Group at Ropes & Gray LLP, she also represented venture capital, private equity and investment banking clients of the firm in IP due diligence for investments and acquisitions. Exemplary past clients and matters are described in more detail below.

PAST REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS AND MATTERS

Patent Portfolio Strategy:

Advised and prosecuted worldwide patent portfolios for biotech and pharmaceutical industry clients, including:

  • Zealand Pharma A/S (NASDAQ OMX: ZEAL), a biotechnology company based in Copenhagen, Denmark with a mature clinical pipeline of innovative peptide drugs
  • The Burke Medical Research Institute, a New York based nonprofit scientific research institute devoted to advancing the study of neurological diseases and injuries
  • Biogen (Hepatitis B Virus Vaccine and Beta-interferon)
    Also represented Biogen in offensive and defensive patent oppositions and appeals in the European Patent Office relating to HBV antigen and beta-interferon patents
  • Stryker Biotech (Bone Morphogenic Proteins)
  • Vertex Pharmaceuticals (ICE inhibitors, small molecule drugs)
  • GlycoFi (engineered glycosylation pathways and glycoproteins)
  • CytRx (small molecule drugs for ALS, cardiovascular, stroke and cancer)
  • Wyeth/Pfizer’s Prevnar® and other conjugate vaccine programs in 2010-2011 at Ropes & Gray LLC, as a member of the Pfizer Legal Alliance

Corporate IP Services:

  • Performed IP due diligence on behalf of life science companies and investors including: investment banking, venture capital and private equity clients of Ropes & Gray LLP, on patents covering a wide range of products, including: antibiotics and antivirals; therapeutic antibodies, peptides and hormones; cancer, immunological and neurodegenerative disease treatments; and drug delivery devices.

Patent Enforcement and Litigation Strategy:

  • Amgen, Inc. v. Hoechst Marion Roussel Inc., 126 F. Supp. 2d 69 (D. Mass. 2001); advised on trial strategy, prepared for and attended Markman hearings, took and defended expert witness depositions, prepared pre-trial and trial briefs and presented expert witness on behalf of HMR/TKT.
  • Amgen Inc. v. Hoechst Marion Roussel Inc., 314 F.3d 1313 (Fed. Cir. 2003);
    participated in preparing appeal briefs on behalf of HMR/TKT.
  • Admins. of the Tulane Educ. Fund et al v. Biomeasure, Inc. et al., 08-cv-05096 (E.D.La.); represented Tulane University in an inventorship dispute on human GLP-1 peptide analogs in a lawsuit filed in December 2008.