Michael J. Spellberg, Ph.D.

Dr. Michael Spellberg is a registered patent attorney practicing in the area of biotechnology. His practice includes patent preparation and prosecution, global IP portfolio management, freedom-to-operate analyses, and due diligence and opinion work. Dr. Spellberg’s practice covers all areas of biotechnology, including biologic therapies, research tools, screening assays, bioprocessing and purification, with a particular focus on oligonucleotide therapeutics, mRNA technology, antibody therapeutics, and cell therapies.

Dr. Spellberg’s research background is in cancer immunology and molecular biology. Prior to joining the firm, Dr. Spellberg served as a postdoctoral research fellow for Dr. Carl Novina at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, where he used cutting-edge CRISPR technology in the development of tools to epigenetically modify cancer cells and immune cells as a novel therapy.

Dr. Spellberg received his Ph.D. at Brandeis University in the lab of Dr. Michael Marr. During this time, he identified a novel function of a transcription factor for its role in regulating the small RNA pathways and viral immunity.

• Panelist, "Career Workshop," University of Massachusetts Medical School RNA Therapeutics Conference, June 27, 2018

• Xiong, T. Meister, G. Workman, R. Kato, N. Spellberg, M. Turker, F. Timp, W. Ostermeier, M. Novina, C. Targeted DNA methylation in human cells using engineered dCas9-mehtyltransferases. Scientific Reports. 2017. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06757-0.

• Spellberg, M. Marr, M. FOXO regulates RNA interference in Drosophila and protects from RNA virus infection. PNAS. 2015. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1517124112.

• Olson, C. Donovan, M. Spellberg, M. Marr, M. The insulin receptor cellular IRES confers resistance to eIF4A inhibition. eLIFE, 2013. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.00542.001.

• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Boston Intellectual Property Law Association