Working examples and patent claims are often drafted by different people. That can create a problem… In life sciences patents, inventors or R&D teams may prepare the working examples, while patent counsel drafts the claims. Important terminology can easily drift between the two. This is where AI can be especially useful. AI can compare the claims against the examples, identify missing or inconsistent terminology, and help refine the examples so they are consistent with the cl

AI tools are becoming irreplaceable time savers. AI can take notes at meetings, analyze and summarize data and reports, search and synthesize technical information, and prepare investor and board decks, to name just a few. And DHL is a proponent of using AI for many company processes, including those related to intellectual property. However, AI tools, without the appropriate legal guard rails, can jeopardize your IP. Letting AI capture sensitive information without the right

AI tools have shifted from optional add-ons to essential infrastructure. AI can take notes at meetings, analyze and summarize data and reports, search and synthesize technical information, and prepare investor and board decks, to name just a few. And DHL supports the use of AI throughout a wide range of company processes, including intellectual property-related work. But AI tools, without the appropriate legal guard rails, can jeopardize your IP. Letting AI capture sensitive

The most expensive patent mistakes often do not become visible until years later. By then, the company may be stuck with weak fallback positions, limited claim options, or an entire strategy dependent on one application and one difficult examiner. It can feel like you’re stuck in mud. That is what happens when patent work is managed as a series of short-term filings instead of a long term strategic portfolio build. In this Patent Frontier discussion, Dominic Vacchiano and Ema

The bio/pharma IPO market reopened in H1 2026, as we predicted based on the bullish public bio/pharma market starting in the 2nd half of 2025. However, the bio/pharma IPO activity remains far below its historical peak in 2020/2021. BPIQ recorded 15 IPOs in H1 2026, up 114% from seven in H1 2025. This was the highest first-half total since 2021, but only narrowly above the 14 IPOs recorded in H1 2022 and still far below the 61 recorded in H1 2021. Quarterly Activity Shows a Gr

H1 2026 private bio/pharma funding reached its highest total amount invested of the past three years, but the number of funding events declined by almost 33%. Total capital increased slightly compared with H1 2024 and H1 2025, while funding activity remained well below prior-year levels. This points to an investment environment where capital is still available, but fewer companies are securing it. In total, private companies raised approximately $20.3B across 366 funding even

This year marks our 11th anniversary at Double Helix Law. Over the past 11 years, we have built Double Helix Law around a simple belief: life sciences companies need more than a traditional law firm. They need a highly engaged strategic IP partner that works like a fractional intellectual property department, deeply integrated with both the science and the business. Our experience, both inside traditional firms and leading in-house patent functions, taught us that the traditi

Double Helix Law: A More Integrated, Proactive, and Cost-Effective Life Sciences IP Partner Long Version For those wanting to learn much more about our first 11 years. This year marks our 11th anniversary at Double Helix Law. What began as a focused vision, to build a different kind of intellectual property law firm for life sciences companies has grown into a trusted strategic IP partner and fractional patent team supporting innovators across therapeutics, diagnostics, life

Q1 2026 private biotech funding remains low and did not match the January-driven peak seen in early 2025, but overall capital deployment remained broadly comparable. Unlike Q1 2025’s front-loaded start, funding in Q1 2026 was more evenly distributed across the quarter, pointing to a more stable, though still selective, investment environment. We still believe the stage is set for a rebound in private biotech funding starting in the 2nd half of 2026. In total, private companie

Private bio/pharma funding in 2025 totaled approximately $40.0 B across 1,045 private funding events, slightly below 2024’s $40.4 B , but substantially below 2024’s 1,367 deals (FN1). Activity was heavily front-loaded, with January 2025 alone accounting for $6.3 B and 138 deals , the single most active month of the year. After a mid-year lull in deal volume and capital deployment, the market saw modest late-year momentum, particularly in October ($6.0 B) and December ($3

After a difficult 3 years of private biotech funding for early-stage biotech companies (FN1, FN2), we predict that 2026 will be a breakout year. Why? Public smid-cap biotech stocks soared in the 2nd half of 2025; Historical data shows that when public smid-cap biotech stocks soar, the biotech IPO market opens up the following year; Once the biotech IPO market opens, private funding should follow in subsequent quarters Public smid-cap biotech stocks soared in the 2nd half of 2

After more than 25 years working with biotech innovators, I’ve learned that the real value of a patent family lies in the inventive scope where your science, legal strategy, and innovation truly meet . That intersection is what I call the patent sweet spot . So, what exactly is the sweet spot? It’s the range of claim scope that matches the working examples in your application — broad enough to protect what matters commercially, but grounded enough in data to avoid overreach

Innovation, collaboration, and thoughtful IP strategy, that’s what built Invitrogen’s success. And it’s still what drives the best biotech companies today. In 2004, I joined Invitrogen , one of the most dynamic biotech companies of its time. Recently, I came across my old Invitrogen catalog from that year, a snapshot of the start of the company’s golden era, and it brought back a flood of memories. The catalog reads like a roll call of transformative tools: Lipofectamine, Su

The Lip Service Problem In 25+ years of working with biotech leadership teams, I’ve heard countless executives assure investors, employees, and boards: “We are committed to strong patents.” But too often, those words are just lip service. Even well-meaning leadership teams that believe they are prioritizing IP often aren’t. The difference between talk and true commitment comes down to one rarely asked question: “What percentage of your R&D budget is dedicated to experiments r

Every biotech CEO says it. “We are committed to strong patents.” But here’s the uncomfortable truth: words don’t build patent fortresses. Budgets do. The question that separates talk from true commitment is simple: 👉 What percentage of your R&D budget is dedicated to experiments requested by your patent team to strengthen and broaden patents? If the answer is $0 , or “we don’t really track that,” then your company may be more vulnerable than you realize. Without patent-stre

As a professional whose career started in the 1980s, AI feels like the early days of PCs, the Internet, and smartphones—big hype, real potential, but real transformation takes time. Even if the tech moves fast, humans and systems take longer to adapt. ---------------- [FYI: The above text was generated by ChatGPT except that I added the 1st clause: "As a professional whose career started in the 1980s". (I left in the em dash (—) so you might have picked up that this was gener

At DHL, we are committed to finding ways to use AI to help us do our patent tasks more efficiently and more effectively. We use AI every day to help us. But we realize that AI is in its early days and has many limitations. That's why we use it carefully and responsibly. About DHL Double Helix Law (DHL) has decades of experience building strong patent portfolios for life science companies. Learn more about DHL and meet the team . Want to stay updated on life science patent law

Why Your Biotech Patent Keeps Getting Rejected, and What to Do About It. If your biotech patent application keeps getting rejected, it’s tempting to blame the patent examiner. But in most cases, the real issue is a weak patenting strategy or poor execution — both of which can be fixed. Here’s how to diagnose what’s going wrong and turn things around. Point 1 – Are You Relying on Only One Examiner and One Claiming Strategy? If you have only one application, one examiner, and

“Bio/pharma funding deal data in H1 2025 reveals a troubling downward shift starting in February.” Investment in bio/pharma was down in H1 2025 according to data from the BiopharmIQ database¹. From the total first half data, this was most apparent in data related to public companies. However, more troubling were the downward trends in bio/pharma investment seen as 2025 progressed. Q2 2025 had the lowest private and post-IPO public funding activity of any quarter since Q1 2024

Struggling to get tough biotech patents allowed? A reactive, traditional "strategy" often fails. Try these 4 proactive, effective patenting tips to get valuable patents to issue. FILE A ROBUST PATENT APPLICATION It starts at the top; Give yourself your best chance at success with a robust patent application filing with numerous fallbacks supported by working examples with surprising results. FILE A DECLARATION DURING PROSECUTION WITH SUPPORTIVE AND SURPRISING DATA Strengthe