Armstrong Teasdale has been selected by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide Intellectual Property (IP) services in the area of biotechnology law. The multiyear contract would extend from April 20, 2020, through April 19, 2030, (if renewed annually by the NIH) and is not to exceed $386 million over the possible 10-year period.

The NIH is expected to select nine total firms in the area of biotechnology law. With this award, the firm will have the opportunity to handle patent matters related to vaccines, immunology, biochemistry, molecular biology, nanotechnology as it affects biological systems, diagnostics, therapeutics, cell biology, genetics/genomics/epigenetics, proteomics, recombinant technology, gene editing, and anatomy and physiology.

“The NIH is front and center in the fight against COVID-19, and we’re proud to support this great organization and its lifesaving work,” said Managing Partner David Braswell. “It is a privilege to have the opportunity to serve the NIH, and our skilled IP team is ready to jump in and work alongside the NIH’s esteemed scientists and professionals to drive significant breakthroughs in the health care and life sciences industry.”

An agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the NIH invests approximately $41.7 billion annually in medical research for the American people. The NIH is the primary federal agency conducting medical research and driving industry breakthroughs, and the NIH Office of Technology Transfer plays a critical and strategic role in the curing of disease, by supporting the patent and licensing needs of their 27 Institutes and Centers across the country.

Armstrong Teasdale’s work will include patent searches, prosecution, infringement and interference services, and licensing consultation of inventions submitted through the NIH Technology Transfer process. The firm’s IP practice consists of more than 100 professionals across the country, including 55 attorneys and patent agents registered to practice law before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Many of those professionals hold advanced technical degrees, including Ph.D.s, in a number of areas, including chemistry, biotech, electrical engineering, computer science, aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering.

“Innovation is where we excel, and we are proud to partner with the NIH to protect their most valuable IP assets through the journey from ideation to market distribution,” said Partner Christopher Goff. “We have cases pending for IP clients in nearly every country in the world, and I believe our selection further validates the strength of our global practice. For many clients, we manage international portfolios, and our current international docket consists of over 10,000 files.”

The firm is consistently recognized for its strengths in all areas of IP law – from acquisition and licensing to enforcement. In 2020, Armstrong Teasdale earned national rankings in patent and trademark law from U.S. News and World Report, and metropolitan tier 1 rankings in Intellectual Property Litigation and Patent Litigation. The firm is ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA for Intellectual Property law in Missouri, and several of our IP practitioners were recognized in the 2020 guide. Further, in 2019, Juristat named Armstrong Teasdale one of the top patent firms in the country for mechanical engineering, manufacturing and products.