Professional Qualifications:
European Patent Attorney
Basic Litigation Skills Course
Academic Qualifications:
DPhil Cardiovascular Medicinal Chemistry, University of Oxford
MChem Chemistry, University of Oxford
Chris is a European Patent Attorney in our ChemBio team. He is based in our London Office.
In terms of technology, Chris works with clients from across the chemical field, with a particular focus on pharmaceutical chemistry, drug delivery formulations, synthetic methods, polymers and industrial methods. He has experience in drafting, prosecuting and opposing patent applications in the UK and Europe, and managing client portfolios worldwide. Chris also has experience in dealing with contentious oppositions, third-party observations, and proceedings before the EPO Boards of Appeal.
Before joining Abel + Imray, Chris worked as an IP Specialist for an AI-enabled drug discovery company where he was responsible for managing the prosecution of large global patent families, trade secret protection, and invention capture across a variety of therapeutic areas. He has particular expertise in advising on the use of AI tools in drug discovery, and his time in-house has given him first-hand experience in dealing with the challenges of protecting inventions in this space.
Chris handles work for clients ranging from large international corporations to SMEs and universities. He has particular experience in advising medium-sized drug development companies to design and execute their IP strategy throughout the pre-clinical and clinical development process.
Before entering the IP profession, Chris was a postdoctoral researcher, where he investigated how mutations in the skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor disrupt cellular calcium handling. For his DPhil in Cardiovascular Medicinal Chemistry, he was awarded a prestigious British Heart Foundation scholarship to develop novel atorvastatin analogues aimed at reducing muscle-related side effects. His PhD and postdoctoral work resulted in six publications in high-quality scientific journals.
Chris is committed to widening access to the IP profession, and he is a member of the IP Inclusive IP Futures Committee for early career IP professionals.
Outside of work, Chris is an internationally qualified sailing umpire. He has officiated at two Olympic Games, as well as the Sail Grand Prix, and is regularly sought after to umpire and provide rules advice at professional sailing circuits around the World.
