Morrison & Foerster

Patent Strategy + Prosecution; IP Due Diligence; Venture Intellectual Property; Patent Litigation

Partner

Dr. Janet (Jian) Xiao is a leading patent attorney specializing in global patent procurement, patent portfolio management, and IP strategic planning for life sciences and biopharmaceutical companies. Recognized by Chambers USA and Chambers Global as a top-ranked intellectual property lawyer, Dr. Xiao is highly sought after by biotech and pharmaceutical innovators worldwide for patent prosecution, patent strategy, and life sciences IP counsel.

Dr Xiao’s clients range from large renowned multinational companies to emerging startups worldwide. She advises her clients on patent matters relating to various technologies including antibody therapeutics, cell therapeutics, nanomedicine, gene therapy, drug delivery systems, diagnostics, and nutraceuticals.

Recognized for her deep understanding of the industry and knowledge of IP, Janet is known for developing and strengthening her clients’ complex patent portfolios to maximize their commercial value and success. She has been instrumental on the strategy development for multibillion-dollar patent portfolios for pharmaceutical clients, and adds tremendous value by combining her creative legal skills, keen business acumen, and solid foundation in science. As impressed clients noted to Chambers, “Janet consistently delivers a very high level of client service and exhibits strong commercial awareness and vision.”

Janet works extensively in performing IP due diligence reviews in the contexts of VC investments, technology transactions, mergers and acquisitions, as well as marketing and manufacturing clearance for

biopharmaceutical products. She works closely with her clients to assess potential risks and devise preemptive risk-management strategies for their product development and investments. She has led hundreds of IP due diligence projects, and is most notable for her deep knowledge about patent landscapes in the fields of cancer immunotherapy, gene editing, next-generation sequencing, liquid biopsy, antibody manufacturing, and medical devices. Janet works synergistically with patent litigators in the event of legal challenges by third-party competitors or vice versa, and is frequently called upon to represent clients in litigation and post-grant proceedings.

Janet is among the very few IP attorneys in the world who are both equipped with solid skills in global strategic IP management and knowledgeable about IP issues unique to China and Chinese clients, and she has been the go-to counsel for IP issues in U.S./China cross-border transactions and operations in China. As Chambers Global 2024 notes, “She is great, very strong and thoughtful. She has a very large contingent of Chinese companies.”

Janet is the Head of China Life Sciences at Morrison Foerster and served as co-chair of the firm’s global Life Sciences Group from 2016 to 2019.

Nanjing University, B.S.

Chinese Academy of Sciences, M.S.

University of California, Los Angeles, Ph.D.

University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, J.D.