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

• Corporate Strategic Alliance with Dermecular for the clinical study of a Lexicon small molecule asset in rare (orphan) dermatologic indications
• Acquired full rights to LX9211 (all indications, but mainly focused on pain) from Bristol-Myers Squibb
• Out-licensing of worldwide rights to sotagliflozin (Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, etc.) to Sanofi ($300M upfront)
• Out-licensing of Canadian rights to Xermelo to Ipsen Pharmaceuticals (up to $5M upfront)
• Out-licensing of rest-of-world (excluding U.S., Canada, & Japan) rights to Xermelo (orphan oncology indication) to Ipsen Pharmaceuticals (up to $145M upfront)
• R&D Collaborations with American Home Products, Boehringer Ingelheim, Organon, Millennium, Arena, Xoma, Tularik, Oriental Yeast Corporation, Abgenix, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Immunex, Genentech, Johnson & Johnson, Takeda, and Cetek (net proceeds >$200M)
• Technology Licensing Deals with Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Millennium, Immunex, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Roche (Lexicon was the Exclusive Licensee of the Capecchi patents (2007 Nobel Prize). Filed and managed, and settled the Deltagen litigation (2001). Acquired Barry Sharpless’s (2001 and 2022 Nobel Prizes), “chiral selective and click-chem” company Coelacanth (2001)
• Lexicon Genetics Incorporated, $220M Initial Public Offering