Anna Mudge

Anna is a ‘rising star’ in the life sciences IP sector. Her work involves IP strategy, drafting, prosecution, and contentious proceedings. She has particular expertise in drafting and prosecuting robust, global, multi-layered patent portfolios and has a successful track record for contentious opposition work at the EPO. 

Technical Expertise

Anna leads the firm’s Advanced Therapeutics group which focuses on IP matters involving cell and gene therapies. 

She has valuable experience in drafting, obtaining, defending and attacking patents relating to CAR/TCR technologies and modified immune cells. She handles substantial portfolios of patent applications relating to gene therapies, viral delivery modalities, and antisense nucleic acid technologies. She also has wide-ranging experience in the immunotherapy and antibody fields. 

Clients

Anna works with a wide range of organisations, from biotech start-ups and universities to multinational pharmaceutical companies. She always endeavours to become a trusted advisor to her clients, flexing to suit their commercial goals, IP requirements and budget. She enjoys the opportunities to become embedded into her clients’ teams, allowing her to develop effective and proactive IP strategies that align with the clients’ commercial aims. 

Many of Anna’s clients are based in the UK and the USA. She co-leads a team focusing on business development on the US East Coast and she is a regular visitor to the Boston-Washington corridor to attend conferences and connect with clients. Highlights include extended visits to Boston and Washington DC, including a secondment in a high-profile US IP law firm.  

Qualifications and Career

Anna graduated with a first-class BSc (Hons) in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Durham University and won an academic prize for the best performance on her course. She has a PhD in Molecular Cell Biology, also from Durham University. 

She joined Mewburn Ellis LLP in 2015, qualifying as a Chartered Patent Attorney and a European Patent Attorney in 2019. Anna joined the partnership in 2024. 

Opposition Highlights

Anna has worked on numerous successful offensive EPO oppositions of high commercial importance. Recent highlights before the EPO’s Opposition Divisions include:

• Revocation of EP3636778 relating to antisense nucleic acid molecules for treating facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy;
• Revocation of EP2806900 relating to antisense oligonucleotides for treating Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy;
• Revocation of EP2654789 relating to anti-CD39 antibodies.

Recommendations and Feedback

Anna is recognised as a ‘Rising Star’ in Managing Intellectual Property’s IP Stars 2022, 2023 and 2024. 

“We see Anna as an extended part of our team”. - Shareholder, IP law firm, Boston USA

“We thank Anna for her excellent ongoing support”. - CEO, UK biotechnology company