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Life sciences

HGF’s life sciences attorneys understand the challenges associated with commercially focused IP management and can advise on the pertinent issues, from invention conception through to patent term extension, to maximise the value of intellectual property.

Lady looking into test tube

As one of Europe’s largest groups of specialist life science attorneys, HGF has the wealth of technical and legal expertise to deliver truly global, commercially-focused strategies.

From protecting new research from Europe’s most prestigious universities, to high-profile oppositions for international healthcare companies on market-leading technologies, the team possesses in-depth legal experience. Particular technical expertise within the group covers the fields of foodtech, microbiome for therapeutic purposes, cell and gene therapy, bioinformatics, agritech, gene editing, and personalised medicine.

In addition, our life sciences attorneys work closely with our IP lawyers in relation to life cycle agreements such as MTAs, R&D collaborations, companion diagnostics, IP licensing, clinical trials through to commercial manufacturing and supply, and litigation.

See our life sciences specialists

Life sciences sector specialisms

AgriTech
Bioinformatics
Biopharmaceuticals
FoodTech
LongevityTech
Microbiome

Latest updates

When AI Designs the Ingredient: Who Controls the Data, the Model and the Discovery?

AI-enabled discovery has drawn significant attention in pharmaceutical R&D, but its impact is extending into other industries, across ingredients, food, flavour, fragrance and industrial biotechnology. As AI models advance, the …

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Protecting the AI Drug Discovery Ecosystem: Building an IP Stack Around Targets, Molecules and Medicines

Despite the considerable costs and effort in target identification, candidate generation, selection and advancement to clinical trials, 90% of candidates that enter clinical trials during drug discovery fail (Sun D, …

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Agritech Thymes: UK-EU SPS agreement – what does it mean for plant breeders?

Since Brexit, the UK agrifood sector has faced difficulties, largely due to the requirement for additional certifications and controls, such as phytosanitary certificates and border checks. This has had a …

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How Low Can You Go? T 0137/24, Percentage Sequence Identity Claims and Divergent EPO and USPTO Approaches

Key takeaways Increasing percentage sequence identity thresholds may be selected from a disclosed convergent list without adding matter, provided the amendment does not create a new technical combination; Broader percentage …

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Event - 18th November 2026

HGF Venture: Funding the Future

Join fellow life sciences founders, investors and business leaders for an evening of drinks and networking in Cambridge on the 18th November, 5-9pm. Featuring an investor-founder round table and an …

Event details

Designing the Exit: IP Strategy for Venture-Backed Biotech

In venture-built biotech, value is not created at the point of exit, but is designed into the asset from the very beginning. The earliest decisions made around a scientific discovery …

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Five Questions VCs Should Ask About IP Before They Invest

Intellectual property diligence too often starts with the wrong question: how many patents does the company have? For venture investors, that is rarely the most revealing answer. The real issue …

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HGF in Conversation: Andrew Tindall on the IP Landscape of Personalised Medicine

How is the convergence of genomics, AI, diagnostics and gene therapies reshaping healthcare, and what does this mean for intellectual property? Andrew Tindall, Patent Director at HGF, recently joined Parola …

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