She represents private- and public-side biotech, pharmaceutical and medical device companies and advises clients on matters relating to patent prosecution, including patentability, non-infringement and invalidity opinions, licensing, joint development agreements and patent enforcement. Additionally, she performs IP due diligence on potential investments for some of the top venture capital firms and serial entrepreneurs in the world, some with whom her relationships span a period of more than 15 years. She has been described by clients as having “the commercial savvy and interpersonal skills to quickly ink lucrative licensing contracts with even the most recalcitrant third parties.”

Kris’ experience encompasses cellular immunotherapies; gene therapy; nano and viral systems for oncolytic, gene therapy and vaccine indications; preventative medicine; treatments for devastating neurological and other tissue injuries; treatments—and more critically cures—for developmental and progressive neurological diseases such as autism, ALS and Alzheimer’s.

Prior to joining McDermott, Kris spent 22 years as a co-founder of an IP boutique dedicated to life sciences patent prosecution, serving as a managing partner for the last eight years.

During her academic career, Kris conducted cell biology, genetics and neurobiology research using molecular biology and biochemistry techniques. Select first-author research and review articles have been published in Cell, EMBO Journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Genomics and Trends in Genetics.

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• Represented Tricida for investors at the company formation stage and for follow on financings. Tricida is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of non-absorbed oral drug therapies. In November 2017, Tricida announced the closing of an oversubscribed $57.5M Series D financing, bringing the company’s total raised capital to $153.3M. Kris conducted the IP due diligence and strategic analysis at the company formation stage, resulting in the initial two-tranche financing by lead investor Orbimed*
• Represented ObsEva SA, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for serious conditions that compromise women’s reproductive health and pregnancies. Kris led the development of the company’s patent portfolio strategies for multiple lead programs, resulting in the issuance of key patents, and handled transactional matters including a $60M private placement in October, 2017 with well-known investors and venture capital firms including New Enterprise Associates (NEA), New Leaf Venture Partners, Sofinnova Ventures, DAFNA Capital Management, Sphera Global Healthcare Fund, and Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners, as well as Aisling Capital, First Manhattan Co., Ghost Tree Capital and Omega Funds. This financing $96.8M followed the company’s IPO in June 2017*
• Represented Arix Bioscience, a global health care and life science company supporting medical innovation. In December 2017, Arix announced that it co-led a $30M Series C financing round for Aura Biosciences, a company that is developing a new class of therapies to selectively destroy cancer cells, namely ocular melanoma, a rare and aggressive eye cancer. Kris led the due diligence on the IP for the investors in the $30M Aura financing*
• Represented Corbus Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage drug-development company targeting rare, chronic, serious inflammatory and fibrotic diseases. In November 2017, Kris obtained the first patent protection for Corbus, on commercial products with multiple patents covering the use of pharmaceutical compositions for anabasum, used in the treatment of multiple fibrotic diseases including ostio-fibrosis. According to the company’s press release, it is a “first-in-class therapy targeting multiple rare inflammatory and fibrotic diseases with clear unmet needs and significant morbidity and mortality.” With the increased company valuation resulting from these significant patent protections, Corbus announced that the underwriters of its previously announced public offering of common stock exercised in full their option to purchase nearly 700k additional shares, resulting in additional gross proceeds of approximately $5M, for a total of $37.5M*

*Matter handled prior to joining McDermott.

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• Leo Leva Research Award Recipient, 1986
• Scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the laboratory of Dr. H. Robert Horvitz (Nobel Laureate), 1991 to 1992
• Research Fellow, The Whitehead Institute, 1985 to 1986
• The Legal 500 US 2019

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