Dr Graham Lewis > J A Kemp > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Dr Graham Lewis

020 3077 8600 glewis@jakemp.com View profile View profile

Work Department

Biotechnology and Life Sciences

Position

Partner, European and UK Patent Attorney

Career

Graham is a European and UK Patent Attorney. He works across a diverse range of biotechnology and life sciences subject matter, particularly focusing on immunology. Graham’s areas of technical speciality include immuno-oncology, allergy and autoimmunity. He has extensive patent drafting and prosecution experience in the fields of genomics, peptide immunotherapy, and antibodies and related immunomodulatory agents.

Graham spends much of his time handling European, British and foreign patent applications for a range of clients, particularly in the UK and Scandinavia. He has also acted in European Patent Office (EPO) oppositions relating particularly to antibody technology (including the blockbuster Opdivo). Graham has attended multiple oral proceedings at Opposition Division and Board of Appeal level at the EPO, and has experience of successfully coordinating these with defense against a parallel infringement action in the German courts, in relation to a patent pertaining to production of pharmaceutically active compounds in plant cells.

Earlier in his career Graham was seconded to work in-house at Circassia, at that time a start-up. Over several years Graham was heavily involved in developing the company’s IP portfolio, which ultimately contributed to a successful IPO. As a result of these experiences, Graham has expertise in global patent portfolio management and a detailed understanding of the IP needs of businesses from the inside, including due diligence and freedom to operate issues.

As part of the firm’s team handling patent term extension issues worldwide for pharmaceutical and agrochemical products, Graham also has extensive experience advising on Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs) and related regulatory issues, in particular for antibodies and other biopharmaceuticals. Graham has co-ordinated multiple complex SPC filing and prosecution strategies across the EU/EEA for major pharmaceutical companies, and has been involved with court-level appeals in numerous jurisdictions.

Before joining the profession, Graham studied Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry at Oxford University, including a period investigating the immunology of diabetes at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Graham stayed in Oxford to complete his PhD in immunology under Professor Richard Cornall at the Nuffield Department of Medicine headed by Professor Sir John Bell. As part of his PhD project, Graham also spent time working with Professor Chris Goodnow at the Australian National University in Canberra.

Graham has been a participant, by invitation, at the Banbury Conference on Patenting Genes at Cold Spring Harbor, New York.

Despite continuing to move further south, as a native of St. Helens Graham’s interests outside the office include rugby – especially the league variety.

Graham joined J A Kemp in 2005 and became a partner in 2015.

Memberships

Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA); Member of the Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office (EPI)

Education

University of Oxford, Masters Degree in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry; University of Oxford, DPhil in Immunology