Denise L. Mayfield

Admitted only in Texas and Colorado.
Supervised by principals of the firm who are admitted to the District of Columbia Bar.

Denise L. Mayfield advises academic institutions, biotechnology firms and pharmaceutical companies on the protection and transfer of intellectual property assets, technology development, product commercialization and federal regulatory compliance. Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Ms. Mayfield also advises clients on issues of patentability, inventorship, claim scope and patent infringement.

Ms. Mayfield's experience includes U.S. and foreign patent application preparation and prosecution, evaluation of invention disclosures, USPTO appeal proceedings, interference proceedings, European opposition proceedings, due diligence studies, patent portfolio strategy consulting, research and development agreements, confidentiality agreements, manufacturing agreements, drafting and negotiation of clinical research agreements, infringement analysis, patent validity assessment, inventorship determinations, product clearance studies, freedom-to-operate (FTO) analysis, and drafting and negotiating license agreements. She has also counseled both large and small pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies concerning FDA patent reporting issues (Paragraph IV certifications, Orange Book patent scope and monitoring, and product-patent scope analysis), as well as NIH-funded research compliance requirements (invention disclosure and filing).

Ms. Mayfield previously practiced with a national intellectual property boutique and most recently with a multi-specialty international law firm in Washington, D.C.

Prior to pursuing a career in law, Ms. Mayfield was a researcher with the University of Texas Medical System (University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio) in the Department of Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases, where she studied lung cancer disease and the immunosuppressive effects of smoke inhalation, and in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, where she studied male and female reproductive function, fertility and behavior, particularly the effects of various pharmacologically active agents (opioids and cannabinoids, such as THC) on male and female reproduction, fertility and behavior. Ms. Mayfield’s work also concerned the initial characterization of the male pituitary-gonadal axis in fertility and behavior. Ms. Mayfield also participated in the publication of the first andrology-focused journal in the country, the Journal of Andrology. Ms. Mayfield is extensively published in refereed peer-reviewed journals. Representative publications appear below:

Publications

• "Differential Effects of follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones on testosterone production by mouse testes," Journal of Steroid Biochemistry (July 1986)
• "Perinatal cannabinoid exposure: effects on hepatic cytochrome P-450 and plasma protein levels in male mice," Teratology (April 1986)
• "Neonatal Exposure to DES in BALB/c Male Mice: Effects on Gonadal Function," Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior (1985)
• "Effects of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol on testosterone production in vitro: influence of Ca++, Mg++ or glucose," Life Sciences (October 1985)
• "Neonatal exposure to DES in BALB/c male mice: effects on pituitary-gonadal function," Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior (June 1985)
• "Effects of psychoactive and non-psychoactive cannabinoids on neuroendocrine and testicular responsiveness in mice," Life Sciences (April 1985)
• "Early cannabinoid exposure influences neuroendocrine and reproductive functions in mice: II. Postnatal effects," Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior (January 1984)
• "Early cannabinoid exposure influences neuroendocrine and reproductive functions in male mice: I. Prenatal exposure," Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior (January 1984)
• "Effects of testosterone, estradiol, aromatase inhibitor, gonadotropin and prolactin on the response of mouse testes to acute gonadotropin stimulation," Journal of Steroid Biochemistry (April 1983)
• "Cannabinoids stimulate and inhibit testosterone production in vitro and in vivo," Life Sciences (February 1983)
• "Effects of delta 9-THC on plasma hormone levels in female mice," Substance Alcohol Actions Misuse (1983)
• "Effects of delta 9-THC and castration on behavior and plasma hormone levels in male mice," Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior (January 1983)
• "A Novel Female Influences delta-9-THC effects on Plasma Hormone Levels in Male Mice," Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior (1982)
• "Cannabinoids in male mice: effects on fertility and spermatogenesis," Science (April 1982)
•  "Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol Increases Plasma Testosterone Concentrations in Mice," Science (1982)
• "A novel female influences delta 9-THC effects on plasma hormone levels in male mice," Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior (August 1981)
• "Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol increase plasma testosterone concentrations in mice," Science (July 1981)

Representative Experience

Ms. Mayfield has represented U.S. pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in negotiating license agreements and cooperative research agreements, and has prepared and prosecuted over 200 patents and patent applications domestically and abroad. She has also counseled domestic and foreign clients on the following technologies:

• Pharmacophore-drug modeling and selection technologies
• Immunology
• Antibody technology
• Stem cell technologies
• Plant cell biology
• Oncology
• Hematology
• Reproductive medicine
• HIV detection and treatment
• Recombinant protein/peptide technologies
• Liposomes
• Candidate molecule identification strategies
• Genetically engineered plants
• Biomass conversion (ethanol)
• Disease screening methods (genetic and protein/peptide-based)
• Genetic marker analysis (RNA, DNA)
• Cloning methods
• Hormone replacement products
• Drug delivery formulations
• Inflammatory disease (arthritis) treatments

Memberships and Affiliations

Ms. Mayfield is a member of the Association of University Technology Managers and the American Intellectual Property Law Association’s Biotechnology and Chemical Practice Committees.

Education and Bar Admissions

Ms. Mayfield received a B.A. in biology from Trinity University, an M.S. in genetics and physiology from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a J.D. from St. Mary's University School of Law. She is admitted to practice in Texas and Colorado, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.