Eric M. Balicky Ph.D.

For more than 19 years, Eric has represented a diverse array of clients in IP-related matters, with an emphasis on strategic IP counseling, patent preparation and prosecution, IP due diligence and legal opinions.

Eric also has substantial experience in patent litigation, providing a perspective that informs and enhances his other practice areas. Since 2020, Eric has received distinction in The Best Lawyers in America® for his patent law expertise. He was also recognized in 2020 and 2022 by LMG Life Sciences as a Life Sciences Star for Patent Prosecution. Eric has also been named a Rising Star in Intellectual Property Law by Super Lawyers® since 2017.

With a technical background in molecular biology and biochemistry, Eric has represented both corporate and university clients in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, bioprocessing and medical device areas. Representative areas of technical focus include:

• therapeutic antibodies and other protein-based therapeutics,
• cancer detection, diagnosis and therapy,
• cancer immunotherapy, including CAR-T therapy,
• microRNAs and other non-coding RNAs,
• genome editing techniques, including CRISPR,
• vaccines and vaccine production,
• small molecule therapeutics, including enantiomers/diastereomers,
• immunological detection methods and assays,
• in situ hybridization probes and techniques,
• synthetic peptide compounds,
• PCR amplification and decontamination techniques,
• bioinformatics, including DNA sequencing methods and algorithms,
• protein engineering and redesign,
• natural product synthesis in plants and other hosts,
• transgenic mammals and plants,
• dialysis methods, systems and devices,
• aquaculture products and methods,
• filtration systems and processes, including tangential flow filtration.

Eric manages prosecution of several large patent portfolios, including multiple patent families with worldwide filings. He has prepared invalidity, non-infringement and freedom-to-operate opinions to assist his clients with critical strategy decisions. Eric also has substantial experience conducting patent appeals before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) at the USPTO, and has obtained multiple PTAB decisions reversing the Office on all contested grounds of rejection. He has evaluated and conducted due diligence investigations of third party IP and defended his clients’ IP in numerous diligence investigations. In addition, Eric has represented both plaintiff and defendant clients in patent infringement litigation. Eric’s international experience includes working with European counsel to oppose and defend patents in opposition proceedings before the European Patent Office. Eric’s experience also includes prosecuting reissue patent, design patent and trademark applications.

Prior to joining the firm, Eric conducted his dissertation research in chromosome biology, focusing on processes that control meiotic chromosome segregation. His research, which utilized Drosophila melanogaster as a model genetic system, incorporated molecular, genetic, cytological and biochemical techniques to characterize the role of the Orientation Disruptor (ORD) and dRING proteins in promoting normal sister-chromatid cohesion and chromosome condensation during meiosis. He was the recipient of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) training grant award as a graduate student and, as an undergraduate, received a National Science Foundation award supporting a summer research internship performed at Carnegie Mellon University.

Eric has co-authored several published articles and abstracts. His research articles have appeared in the journals Molecular Biology of the Cell, Chromosoma, and Current Biology.

Eric is a member of the Firm’s Management Committee.