Seed IP’s Biotechnology, Chemistry & Pharmaceuticals and IP Enforcement, Litigation & Defense Groups proudly welcome proudly welcomes associate Cong Yao, Ph.D. Cong assists clients with IP procurement, Freedom-to-Operate and counseling. Trained in both patent prosecution and patent litigation, he obtains and maximizes the value of clients’ IP. Cong prosecutes patents in all fields of Life Sciences including pharmaceuticals, diagnostic methods, biologics (e.g. antibodies), and cell therapies (e.g. chimeric antigen-receptors T cells). He advises clients in designing and obtaining global patent portfolios. Cong helps clients analyze and understand the patent landscape by conducting proper Freedom-to-Operate at different stages of a company’s growth and with different focuses to suit clients’ needs and objectives. He counsels clients in various aspects of IP law, including validity analysis, infringement analysis, FDA regulations, market/patent exclusivity, patent licenses, and PTAB proceedings (e.g. Inter Partes Review). Cong holds the (FDA) Regulatory Affairs Certificate (RAC, U.S.) issued by the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS). He received his J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 2014, and a Ph.D. in Biology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2009. Cong earned a B.S. (with honors) in Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, from Tsinghua University, in 2005.

Cong is admitted to practice in the states of California, New York, and Massachusetts, and registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He is a member of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board Bar Association, the Washington State Patent Law Association (WSPLA), Life Science Washington, and the Chinese Antibody Society.