Xiaodong Li, PhD

Dr. Xiaodong Li works closely with pharmaceutical and biotech clients to devise IP strategies for technology and products at different development and commercial stages. He brings both strong intellectual property skills and impressive scientific credentials to serve clients domestically and internationally. In addition to IP strategy and prosecution, Xiaodong also assists technology and investor clients in due diligence, including monitoring and analysis of complex patent portfolios, and freedom-to-operate and invalidity analysis. He also represents clients in many IP transactions, including negotiation of agreements such as license, collaboration, research, manufacturing, supply, etc.

Xiaodong has worked with biotech companies from their foundation to IPO, providing a broad scope of IP counseling including on global patent protection, enforcement, and defense strategies, life cycle management, and various types of transactions. He has represented clients as IP counsel in financing at different stages, including IPO.

Xiaodong has extensive research experiences in both biology and chemistry. He obtained his PhD in organic chemistry from Harvard University, where he developed new technologies for preparing small molecule libraries for drug development. He conducted his postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School/ Boston Children’s Hospital, focusing on epigenetics and its functions in human diseases.

Xiaodong is a native Chinese speaker. He has strong interest in the Chinese IP system and the biotech industry, and maintains close relationships with the Chinese IP and biotech communities.

Xiaodong’s clients include FogPharma, Harvard University, Kleo Pharmaceuticals, LifeMine Therapeutics, Lilly Asia Ventures, WAVE Life Sciences, and ZymoChem.

Recognition

Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Star (2023)

Representative Engagements

  • Devises IP strategy including layered protection for platform technologies and clinical candidates. Also manages a global patent portfolio comprising hundreds of patent filings for a clinical stage company in the field of nucleic acid therapeutics.
  • Develops IP strategy including crafted approaches for protection of antibody conjugation technologies and antibody product compositions.
  • Develops life-cycle management strategies for complex products including patent filings directed to manufacture processes, product characterization, formulation technologies, and quality control.
  • Has prepared and prosecuted global patent applications directed to complex technologies including small molecules, organometallic catalysts, antibody engineering and conjugates, carbohydrates, biosynthesis, and stereopure oligonucleotide therapeutics.
  • Performs freedom-to-operate analysis for development candidates and develops invalidation strategies for clients including advising clients in European Oppositions.
  • Represents multiple biotech companies in IP diligence for multiple rounds of financing and IPO, and provides IP support for SEC filings.
  • Represents clients as IP counsel in negotiation of collaboration agreements with large pharmaceutical companies as well as negotiation of manufacturing and supply agreements for production of clinical candidates.
  • Develops patent filing strategies for various clients in view of export control and first filing regulations in various jurisdictions.
  • Has advised foreign investors in acquiring Asian rights in pharmaceutical assets from US companies.
  • Advises foreign clients, including multiple Chinese companies, in domestic and international negotiations from the perspective of US patent law.
  • Represents multiple investors in IP due diligence, including investments into pharmaceutical companies focusing on Chinese market and those involving complex IP ownership and license structures.
  • Has assisted clients in complex trade secret litigations.

Publications and Presentations

  • “The histone H3 Lys 27 demethylase JMJD3 regulates gene expression by impacting transcriptional elongation,” co-author, Genes & Development.
  • “Convergent diversity-oriented synthesis of small-molecule hybrids,” co-author, Agnewandte Chemie International Edition.
  • “Catalytic Asymmetric [3+2] Cycloaddition of Azomethine Ylides. Development of a Versatile Stepwise, Three-Component Reaction for Diversity-Oriented Synthesis,” co-author, Journal of the American Chemical Society.
  • “Study on the interaction between distamycin analogs and DNA from herring sperm by fluorometry,” co-author, Chinese Chemical Letters.

Education & Credentials

Suffolk University Law School
JD, 2018
Harvard Medical School
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2011
Molecular Biology
Harvard University
PhD, 2007
Chemistry
Peking University
BS, 2001
Chemistry

Admissions

Massachusetts

U.S. Patent & Trademark Office