News
Contributors
BOSTON—Womble Bond Dickinson’s Boston office continues to grow with two key new additions: patent attorney Ken Mueller, Ph.D., and science advisor Rachel Yunck, Ph.D.
“As we approach our one-year anniversary in Boston, we continue to grow by adding outstanding talent,” said Sarah Keefe, Managing Partner of Womble Bond Dickinson’s Boston office. “Ken and Rachel both bring a technical and research background that will benefit our clients in the Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical Sector.”
Mueller is a registered patent attorney who has litigated numerous patent infringement cases in the biotech, pharmaceutical and medical device arenas.
Before law school, he worked as a neuroscience researcher, conducting research into the logic of taste sensation coding in mice. That research involved finding the mammalian bitter taste receptors, generating transgenic mice and experimentally determining receptor cells dedicated to the aversion pathway.
Yunck brings years of research and patent prosecution experience to guiding and supporting Womble Bond Dickinson’s life sciences clients. She works with clients to evaluate and maintain patent portfolios, and also guides clients in preparing and prosecuting domestic (USPTO) and international patent applications.
Her biotech background includes patent preparation and prosecution experience in the fields of microbiology, molecular biology, genetics, cancer therapeutics, immunotherapies, diagnostics and biomarkers, CRISPR, antibodies, and plant technology.
Yunck’s research at Harvard Medical School focused on cell wall biogenesis in bacteria, an essential bacterial process that can be targeted by antibiotics. Using genetic, biochemical, and structural approaches, Yunck discovered and characterized factors involved in cell wall biogenesis, including a previously unknown family of cell wall hydrolases that are broadly conserved in bacteria.
