Allison M. Glasunow, Ph.D.

Allison Glasunow is a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice Group. Allison builds complex global patent portfolios for breakthrough life sciences companies in highly competitive industries.

Areas of Practice

Dr. Allison Glasunow counsels clients on technical and legal matters concerning patentability and strategy to develop competitive patent portfolios. She leads clients in due diligence, invalidity, freedom to operate matters, as well as substantively supporting patent litigation cases. 

Allison has particular depth in immunotherapy, genetics and genomics, stem cells, cancer therapies, cardiovascular therapies, peptide therapeutics, clinical and research diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices, among others.

Specific examples of technologies that Allison has experience with include the following: 

• Cellular immunotherapy, such as chimeric antigen receptor "CAR" T-cells, antibodies and fragments, and ADC/EDC.
• Peptide therapeutics and associated libraries; gene editing technologies, such as CRISPER/Casnucleic acid delivery technologies, such as engineered vectors and sirna/rnai.
• Checkpoint inhibitors; sequencing technologies, such as high-throughput sequencing and next generation sequencing.
• Fatty acids.
• Neurostimulation and neurovascular interventional therapies.

Experience

• Prevailed at the Federal Circuit for private healthcare services organization when the court affirmed that two patents owned by another clinic were invalid for claiming a natural law. The team defended the company against a series of cases and appeals since 2015 and in total, has now invalidated five competing clinic patents and won two Federal Circuit appeals. 

• Provided comprehensive patent counsel for privately held pharmaceutical company developing biologic therapeutics for treatment of FGFR3-mediated conditions. Representation included patent procurement and management of licensed and original patent portfolios.

• Provided patent counsel for treatment and research center developing innovative treatments for cancer, diabetes and other diseases. Representation included patent procurement for technologies, including small molecule and biologic therapeutics.

• Offered comprehensive patent counsel for publicly traded pharmaceutical company developing small molecule therapeutics for treatment of cystic fibrosis and other premature stop codon-related diseases. Representation included patent procurement and management of licensed and original patent portfolios.

• Provided comprehensive IP counsel for privately held biotechnology company developing novel genetically modified bacterial strains. Representation included patent strategy analysis and due diligence.

• Represented a privately held biopharmaceutical company in patent prosecution matters related to methods of using dapansutrile for treatment of cardiovascular disease, including acute myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, heart failure, stroke, thrombosis, carditis, cardiac allograft rejection, cardiomyopathy and peripheral vascular diseases.

• Advised on the preparation and prosecution of patent applications generally directed to: methods of characterizing atherosclerotic plaques; affinity tags and associated processes of purifying tagged molecules; and methods of enhancing nucleic acid amplification by physical proximity.

• Provided outside IP counsel for public pharmaceutical company. Responsible for building and managing global IP strategy for pharmaceutical product with over $150MM in annual sales. Served as IP counsel in domestic and foreign joint development transactions and provided IP counsel in relation to clinical, commercial supply and licensing agreements. Served as IP counsel in due diligence of various product acquisition opportunities.

• Provided outside IP counsel for clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing novel compounds for a variety of indications in the fields of dermatology, liver disease and lung disease.

• Provided outside IP counsel for private pharmaceutical company focusing on women’s healthcare, gastroenterology and dermatology in due diligence of various product and company acquisition and licensing opportunities.

• Patent portfolio planning, development and counseling, including patent preparation, prosecution, evaluation and analysis for medical device company in the fields of spinal cord stimulation, sensors, and implantable devices.

• Served as co-counsel in preparation of post-grant review and inter partes review petitions.

• Assisted lead counsel in response to inter partes review petitions and for the duration of the inter partes review proceeding, including attending oral arguments.

• Assisted lead counsel in response to a post-grant review petition, preparation of expert declarations and prior art analysis.

• Assisted lead counsel in response to an inter partes review petition, preparation of expert declarations and prior art analysis.

Honors

"Ones to Watch" for Intellectual Property Law, Litigation - Patent, and Patent Law, Best Lawyers, 2023-2025

Intellectual Property Law, Litigation – Patent, and Patent Law, Best Lawyers in America, 2023-2024

Media Mentions

Speaking Engagements

• "IP Strategies to Succeed in an Evolving Startup World," September 29, 2020

Memberships

Health Sciences and Services Authority of Spokane County, Spokane, WA, Vice Chair, 2024-2028

Health Sciences and Services Authority of Spokane County, Board Member and Chair of Finance, 2020-present

Sp3NW Governance Advisory Board, 2020-2022

Washington State Patent Law Association, 2015-present

Seattle Intellectual Property Inn of Courts, 2015-2020

Leading Women in Technology, Women in Leadership Program, Alumni Committee, 2017-2020

Women in Biology, Member, 2006-present

South Lake Union Group, Chair; Vice Chair; Treasurer, 2006-2011

North American Association for Vascular Biology, Member, 2006-2011

American Heart Association, Member, 2006-2011