Devang Thakor, PhD

Devang is a seasoned IP attorney and biomedical scientist with deep experience spanning patent prosecution, biotechnology research, and legal leadership in the life sciences industry. He previously served as in-house IP counsel at a venture-backed startup focused on mRNA therapeutics and epigenetic reprogramming, where he built the company’s IP strategy and patent portfolio. A California native, Devang holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from UCLA, with research experience developing gene delivery, stem cell, and tissue engineering technologies and their neuroscience applications at Kyoto University, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Boston VA Healthcare System. Prior to entering private practice, Devang was a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, rising to Primary Examiner with full signatory authority. There, he decided on the patentability of complex biotechnology and pharmaceutical patent applications, as well as applications on medical devices, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, food and drink technologies, and agricultural chemicals. Devang is currently also an active nonprofit board leader and contributor to U.S.-Japan science and policy collaboration.