About Thomas
Driven to deliver clear IP strategies and advice which help clients realise their research and innovation aspirations.
Tom is a patent attorney specialising in gene therapy, molecular and cancer biology, cancer immunotherapy, gene silencing and RNA interference technology, infectious diseases, viral vectors, and blood serum diagnostics.
As a former cancer and gene therapy researcher, Tom has a strong interest in the commercialisation of cutting-edge research in the clinical setting.
Before joining FPA, Tom completed his PhD in signal transduction and cancer biology at The University of Melbourne. Afterwhich, he went on to become a senior research scientist at a biopharmaceutical company developing next generation gene therapies and medical diagnostics. In this role, he managed an extensive research portfolio and developed new therapeutic candidates for a range of cancers and infectious diseases.
Today, Tom assists in drafting, prosecution and strategies for patent portfolios throughout Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Europe and Asia.
He is passionate about providing tailored advice to simplify the patent process and enhance the value of his clients’ commercial research and innovation programs. He enjoys solving patent problems and takes the time to really understand his clients’ research to best serve their commercial needs.
Tom has experience in assisting opposition proceedings, landscape and prior art searches, patentability assessment, freedom-to-operate advice, inventorship determinations, and prosecution strategies in Southeast Asia. He also offers general patent advice in biotechnology areas.
He has co-authored peer reviewed articles in journals such as Nucleic Acids Research, EMBO Reports and Cancer Letters, through research collaborations across Australian research institutes and internationally.
Type of clients
- Local inventors
- Start-ups and small-medium enterprises
- Universities and research institutes
- Large multinational companies
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, Infection and Immunology, University of Melbourne
- Master of Science (Distinction) (Biomedical and Health Sciences), University of Melbourne
- Doctor of Philosophy (Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences), University of Melbourne
- Master of Intellectual Property Law, The University of Melbourne
- Registered Trans-Tasman Patent Attorney
Memberships
- Australian Society for Medical Research
- Ordinary member, Institute of Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia (IPTA)
- Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand (IPSANZ)