Matthew Spencer

Matthew is a Chartered Patent Attorney and European Patent Attorney and heads up our Cambridge Biotechnology and Life Sciences Group.

Matthew specialises in the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, biologics and healthcare fields. He regularly provides due diligence and freedom-to-operate advice to his clients in various technical areas and has particular expertise in diagnostic technologies; specifically biomarkers and personalised medicine, especially companion diagnostics, therapeutics including biologics, analyte detection technologies (including bacterial detection), pest control, fermentation processes, stem cell technologies and medical devices. He brings strategic and commercial advice to his clients and has extensive experience of supporting early stage companies seeking investment and development partners. He has also worked on a Patent Attorney’s Report for an Initial Public Offering of a pharmaceutical company specialising in plant derived medicines.

Matthew is highly experienced in developing drafting and prosecution strategies for key client portfolios worldwide. He regularly represents his clients in Oral Proceedings before the Opposition and Appeal Boards of the European Patent Office.

Matthew tutors candidates in preparation for British and European final examinations and also speaks and publishes on various aspects of biotechnology and healthcare patenting. He has an MA Cantab (Natural Sciences) from Cambridge University which focused on biochemistry, molecular cell biology, chemistry and plant sciences and enables Matthew to practice in a wide range of biochemical and chemical technology areas. He also has an MSci Biochemistry also from Cambridge University in which Matthew engineered protein isoforms of a splicing regulator protein. He has a postgraduate certificate in Intellectual Property Law from Queen Mary & Westfield College, University of London and was awarded the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents Drafting prize for his performance in the finals examination.