Neil Thornton has particular expertise in handling patent work for small and medium-sized enterprises in the biotechnology and pharmaceuticals sector.
Neil joined Reddie & Grose in 1997 and became a partner in 2005.
Neil practices mainly in biotechnological, pharmaceutical, and chemical patent work. He has particular experience in the fields of immunology, cancer (particularly cancer immunotherapy), neurodegenerative diseases, complement-mediated disorders, age-related macular degeneration, stem cells, gene therapy, inflammation, analgesia, biomarkers, monoclonal antibodies, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases, diagnosis and treatment of blood disorders, nucleic acid testing, antimicrobial agents, wound healing and electrochemistry.
Neil has acted for a wide variety of clients, including large multinational pharmaceutical companies, companies in the Cambridge area, and academic institutions. He has particular experience of working for small and medium-sized enterprises. An inventor of one such company was recently named as a finalist in the SME category for the European Inventor Award by the European Patent Office.
Neil’s practice involves the drafting, filing and prosecution of patent applications worldwide, the handling of oppositions at the European Patent Office, due diligence work, and advice on freedom to operate and general intellectual property strategy.
Neil is one of the IAM Top 1000 patent attorneys 2021.
Neil is a keen amateur musician, and was a choral scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He currently sings with Cambridge Renaissance Voices.