Due diligence
For a financial investor, Alacrita conducted an IP assessment on a late stage cell therapy investment opportunity. The assessment revealed that the US and EPO patents relied on just process claims, hence there was no opportunity for an SPC or similar type of medicinal product extension of term. Alacrita's consultants provided a professional opinion on the patentability of certain claims and the relevance of previously disclosed prior art.
For an established medical device company looking to make a strategic investment, Alacrita's IP due diligence revealed that the claims filed by the target company were unlikely to be granted broadly and would not be considered novel or inventive given the state of the art at the time.
On behalf of a mid-cap pharmaceutical company seeking to partner with a monoclonal antibody development boutique, Alacrita reviewed the target company's IP strategy and developed an opinion as to how likely it was that application of a suite of novel antibody discovery tools would lead to new patentable drugs against known targets.
Operational Support
Alacrita provides strategic IP supoport to a new spin out from a medical research charity laboratory. This encompasses directing the prosecution of existing patent applications, identifying and managing new IP as well as general intellectual property advisory services.
IP Strategy
For a university in a developing country, Alacrita advised on best practice for IP protection and technology transfer. The university didn't have critical mass of research activities to justify a full technology transfer office, and Alacrita recommended a low overhead, semi-virtual operation that was dynamic, fit for purpose and scaleable.
Alacrita provided intellectual property guidance for a development stage biotech company that was dissatisfied with its existing IP service provider. Alacrita identified a number of areas where the existing provider was falling short and, following Alacrita's input, the client transferred its entire IP portfolio management to a new service provider.