The patent process for biotechnology inventions can be complex, inventions in this area are often embryonic and require foresight to effectively protect downstream commercial products. The MVS Biotechnology practice group’s specialized training, industry knowledge, and technical experience help clients all over the world overcome such complexities to effectively protect their biotechnology inventions. Because countries have widely varying biotechnology patent laws, we have the experience and team to prosecute and protect these patents all over the world and can craft a strategy to protect your innovations both at home and abroad.

The attorneys in the MVS Biotechnology practice group have degrees varying in molecular biology, biochemistry, immunology, chemistry, pharmaceuticals and related fields. Three have Doctorate level advanced degrees, and three have Masters level advanced degrees.

Our patent attorneys in IA have experience in protecting, strategizing, and licensing of all aspects of biotechnology including:

• CRISPR: Drafting patent claims to capture innovations in genome editing tools and methods while anticipating future applications in gene therapy, agriculture, and diagnostics.
• Transgenic Cells: Protecting engineered cell lines containing inserted genes or constructs used for research, therapeutic development, or industrial production.
• Novel Proteins: Safeguarding newly discovered or engineered proteins—enzymes, antibodies, fusion proteins—through claims addressing structure, function, and uses.
• Plant Patents: Securing rights to asexually reproduced plant varieties with unique traits—flower color, growth habit, yield enhancements, or disease resistance.
• Food and Feed: Developing patent strategies for innovations in nutrition, metabolite pathways, feed additives, or functional food compositions for agriculture or health.
• Gene Editing: Protecting molecular techniques and delivery systems that precisely alter genomic sequences in organisms, including regulatory compliance across jurisdictions.
• Crop Protection: Crafting patent applications for methods, compounds, or biological agents that guard plants against pests, disease, or abiotic stress.
• Immunology: Securing intellectual property in immune system-modulating innovations such as antibodies, vaccines, adjuvants, or cell-based therapies.
• Pest Resistance: Protecting genetic or biochemical traits in crops or organisms that confer resistance to insect, fungal, or pathogen attack.
• Plant Traits & Varieties: Safeguarding genetic enhancements in traits like yield, drought tolerance, nutrient use efficiency, or stress resistance through molecular or breeding inventions.
• Microbial Strains: Protecting novel bacterial, fungal, or microbial isolates or engineered strains for industrial, agricultural, or pharmaceutical applications.
• Vaccines: Drafting patent protection for antigen designs, delivery platforms, adjuvants, or immunization regimens in human and veterinary domains.
• Animal Therapeutics: Securing inventions directed to biologics, small molecules, gene therapies, or treatment methods used in animal health.
• Genotyping: Protecting assays, marker panels, or platforms that enable genetic profiling, trait mapping, or predictive diagnostics.
• Genetic Markers: Drafting claims to DNA, RNA, or genome segment markers used in breeding, diagnostics, forensic, or trait-selection applications.

Why You Need Our Biotechnology Patent Attorneys in IA by Your Side

The biotechnology landscape is evolving rapidly, and protecting intellectual property in this field requires technical insight, legal precision, and global perspective. Working with our experienced biotechnology patent attorneys in IA ensures that your innovations are protected from every angle—scientific, commercial, and regulatory—giving you the foundation to grow and compete confidently.

• Expertise in embryonic-stage inventions: Our attorneys know how to foresee downstream product developments and craft claims that protect future commercial embodiments.
• Deep technical knowledge: With degrees in molecular biology, biochemistry, immunology, pharmaceuticals, chemistry, and related fields, including multiple doctorate- and masters-level credentials.
• Global strategy: Biotechnology patent laws vary widely across jurisdictions; our experience allows us to build international protection plans that comply with local requirements while maximizing enforceability worldwide.
• Breadth of biotech technologies: We protect inventions in many areas such as CRISPR, transgenic cells, novel proteins, gene editing, vaccines, immunology, plant traits and varieties, microbial strains, animal therapeutics, genotyping, and more.
• Client diversity: We represent a wide spectrum from startups and university technology transfer offices to Fortune 500 enterprises, giving us insight into different scale needs, budget realities, and commercialization challenges.
• Institutional relationships: Longstanding membership in AUTM and collaboration with over thirty universities, research foundations, and their licensees give us special perspective on academic discovery and technology transfer dynamics.
• Familiarity with plant and agriculture-related biotech: Plant patents, food and feed technologies, pest resistance, crop protection, and related traits are among our core strengths.
• Ability to guide licensing and commercialization: Beyond obtaining patents, we help with strategy, licensing negotiations, and enforcement to ensure IP assets deliver business value.
• Strong prosecutorial success: Because we combine legal skill with scientific literacy, we are able to draft robust patent applications, respond to office actions, and support international filings with fewer oversights or incomplete disclosures.
• Risk mitigation: We help avoid common pitfalls such as insufficient enablement, overly narrow or overly broad claims, ignoring freedom-to-operate, or missing jurisdictional formalities that can jeopardize rights.
• Ongoing support: As science advances or regulations change, we help reevaluate your intellectual property portfolio, maintain assets, and execute enforcement or defense as needed.

Partnering with our team at McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC means gaining a legal team that not only understands the law but also the science behind your work. Our biotechnology patent attorneys in IA act as trusted advisors who anticipate challenges, uncover opportunities, and build comprehensive IP strategies that protect your innovations and strengthen your market position worldwide.

Who We Represent

Out patent attorneys in IA represent all types of biotech clients from start-ups, to Fortune 500 companies. We have been members of AUTM, the Association of University Technology Managers, for decades. This longstanding involvement has allowed us to cultivate and grow business relationships with over 30 universities, technology transfer offices, and research foundations and their licensees. Clients we have worked on biotechnology matters for range from universities all over the world to biotechnology companies right here in Iowa.

• Iowa State University Research Foundation
• Iowa State University
• Boise State University
• University of Saskatchewan
• Colorado State University Research Foundation
• University of Zurich
• The Pennsylvania State University
• Michigan State University Technologies
• University of Iowa
• Colorado Wheat Research Foundation, Inc.
• The University of Alberta
• Hortus Research, LLC
• Barkley Ag Enterprises, LLP
• MS Technologies, Inc.
• Agri-King, Inc.
• General Vaccines
• PathoVacs, Inc.
• Cal Poly State University
• Immunom Technologies, Inc.
• Zoetis, Inc.
• The South Dakota State University
• Ohio State Innovation Foundation
• University of North Dakota
• Genus/ABS Global
• Weeks Wholesale Rose Grower, Inc.
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Texas A&M University
• Stine Seed Farm
• Biologix Research Corporation
• BlueRock Therapeutics, LP
• Bay State Milling Company
• Central Valley Seeds, Inc.
• Infinite Enzymes
• University of California, Davis
• Calyxt, Inc.
• Applied Biotechnology Institute
• Prairie Pharms, LLC & Moss Buster, LLC

Contact Our Biotechnology Patent Attorneys in IA Today

Protecting biotechnology innovations requires more than just legal expertise; it demands a deep understanding of science, technology, and the global patent landscape. At McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC, our biotechnology patent attorneys in IA combine technical backgrounds in molecular biology, chemistry, and life sciences with decades of legal experience to help clients secure strong, enforceable intellectual property rights. Whether you’re developing groundbreaking gene-editing technologies, new protein formulations, or novel plant traits, our team is ready to guide you through every step of the patent process.

We work with inventors, startups, research institutions, and global corporations to craft customized IP strategies that align with each client’s goals and market opportunities. From initial disclosure and patent drafting to licensing, enforcement, and portfolio management, we provide comprehensive support designed to protect your innovations today and position them for future success. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.

We have worked with clients across the globe to provide biotechnology intellectual property protection.