Lance Ishimoto

Lance is a partner in our Patent and Life Sciences practice groups. He brings decades of experience at the intersection of law, science, and business, guiding life sciences clients through the full spectrum of intellectual property, corporate development, and strategic alliances.

He is a seasoned life sciences lawyer and business strategist who helps clients translate scientific innovation into commercial success. With decades of experience across intellectual property, corporate development, and alliance management, Lance is known for guiding biotech and pharmaceutical companies through every stage of the innovation cycle—from early patent strategy and freedom-to-operate analyses to high-value licensing deals, strategic partnerships, and global commercialization.

Lance’s practice is shaped by senior in-house leadership roles at both the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Lexicon Pharmaceuticals. At Broad, he advised leading researchers and spinouts on building and protecting IP portfolios, structuring new companies, and advancing groundbreaking scientific discoveries into marketable therapies. At Lexicon, he played a central role in bringing novel drugs from concept through FDA approval and commercialization, while managing alliances with industry leaders such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sanofi, and Ipsen. He has led negotiations for billion-dollar licensing agreements, overseen cross-border collaborations, and managed complex IP disputes worldwide.

Clients rely on Lance for his rare blend of legal, scientific, and business acumen. He delivers practical, market-oriented advice that anticipates regulatory, competitive, and transactional challenges, ensuring that innovation is not only protected but positioned to thrive. Whether evaluating new product opportunities, negotiating high-stakes agreements, or managing strategic alliances, Lance is a trusted partner who helps clients unlock the full value of their discoveries.

Representative Experience

• Drafted and issued patents for foundational platform technologies used to build various biotech companies
• Obtained patents for multiple novel disease mechanisms of action, and the associated clinical stage therapeutic compounds
• Extensive experience at taking programs from scientific discovery through drug discovery, clinical development, regulatory approval, and commercial marketing   
• Obtained patents for several marketed therapeutic products that were discovered and developed in-house
• Obtained patents for novel compositions and methods for gene delivery, gene correction, and chromosomal manipulation
• Considerable experience with machine learning and big data clinical insights and opportunities drawn from human clinical data
• Experience in developing products and clinical trials for diabetes, metabolism, cardiovascular disorders, neurological disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, ophthalmology, oncology, neuroendocrine cancers, and inflammatory and autoimmune disorders 
• Extensive experience in biotech in-licensing, and out-licensing
• Litigated multiple patents to successful resolutions both in the U.S. and Europe