T. Aidan Toombs

Aidan Toombs is a Contract Patent Agent in the Intellectual Property Practice Group in the firm's Silicon Valley office.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Toombs' intellectual property practice includes patent drafting and prosecution, freedom to operate analyses and litigation support, especially in the life sciences field. Representative clients include Everett Laboratories, CDG Therapeutics, and Celera Genomics.

Education

• Attending Georgetown University Law Center (J.D. expected December 2008)
• M.S. in Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
• B.S. in Biology, University of Washington, 1994

Admissions

• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Mr. Toombs has nearly 10 years' experience as a research scientist in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Prior to joining Sheppard Mullin, he worked for Roche and Celera Genomics, where he was employed as Senior Scientist. Mr. Toombs' research at these organizations was focused on the development of diagnostic tests for pathogens and genetic disorders.

Articles

• Patent Suit Brings Question of Immunity Before Supreme Court, New York State Science and Technology Law Center Website, September 1, 2008

• "Genetic variants on chromosome 9 are associated with late-onset Alzheimer's disease, variation in allele-specific gene expression, and differential apoptotic response," Y. Li, T.A. Toombs, A. Goate et al., presentation at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease, July 2006
• "DAPK1 variants are associated with Alzheimer's disease and allele-specific expression," Y. Li, T.A. Toombs, A. Goate et al., Hum Molec Genet, July 17, 2006
• "Quantitative multiplex TaqMan assays for colorectal cancer treatment selection markers," S. Kwok, T.A. Toombs, C. Christopherson et al., poster presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, January 2005
• "Detection of groups M and O HIV-1, HCV and HBV by a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay," K. Young, T.A. Toombs et al., poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Blood Banks, 2000

Intellectual Property Law Blog Articles

• "In re Nuijten: Are Tangibility and Permanence Required For Patentability?", October 7, 2008
• "Patent Suit Brings Question of Immunity Before Supreme Court", August 11, 2008