Kevin A. O'Connor, Ph.D.Partner EducationChicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., 2007), with high honors, Order of the Coif
Children’s Memorial Research Center (Post-Doctoral Fellow, 2004) University of Colorado at Boulder (Ph.D., 2003) Creighton University (B.A., 1998), summa cum laude
Kevin represents his clients in all aspects of patent law, including due diligence investigations for mergers and acquisitions, patent counseling and prosecution, strategic management of patent portfolios, and opinion preparation, focusing his practice primarily on the biotechnological, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries.
Kevin’s work encompasses a broad spectrum of technologies, including therapeutics such as cellular therapies, gene therapies, vaccines, large molecules (biologics), and small molecules; diagnostic assays and laboratory reagents; gene editing; and medical devices.
Clients value Kevin’s sophisticated business and communication skills that he puts into play to effectively advise them on the practical implications of their legal strategies. Kevin has assisted clients with multimillion-dollar acquisitions and collaborations, including due diligence and agreement drafting with various intellectual property, antitrust and corporate issues.
Kevin received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Colorado, where his studies focused on interactions between the central nervous system and the immune system. Kevin is author of 21 peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented his work at various national and international scientific meetings.
After finishing his graduate work, Kevin joined the Molecular and Cellular Pathobiology Program at Children’s Memorial Research Center in Chicago to study the pathophysiology of a pediatric inflammatory disease.
Kevin has been listed as a Rising Star in the 2016–2017 editions of Illinois Super Lawyers. In 2016 the Law Bulletin Publishing Company chose him as one of the “40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch.” Kevin has donated his time and energy to advocacy for blood cancer research and has served on the Leadership Board of the Illinois Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
In 2023, Kevin joined Portal Innovations Founder & CEO John Flavin for a live taping of the podcast "Lab Rats to Unicorns." Kevin and John co-moderated a discussion with Rick Silverman and Hande Ozdinler of Northwestern University about life sciences start-ups.
Representative Transactional Experience
- Conducting due diligence on patent issues for:
- a global, strategic collaboration to develop and commercialize small molecule inhibitors of downstream mediators of kinase proteins for oncology indications
- a license and collaboration agreement to advance development of multivalent antibodies as immunotherapies for autoimmune and oncology indications
- an acquisition of a company developing small molecules to modulate pathways that play a role in generating an immune response against tumors
- a research and development agreement for small molecule integrin inhibitors to treat fibrotic diseases that included an upfront payment of $100 million
- a global strategic collaboration to develop and commercialize therapeutic antibodies to treat neurodegenerative diseases including that included an upfront payment in excess of $200 million
- an venture investment in a company focused on developing therapeutic antibodies targeting glyco-immune checkpoints for oncology indications
- a collaboration for the development of orally bioavailable, selective inhibitors of immunoproteasome subunits for immunology indications
- a license agreement for the global development and commercialization of a small molecule kinase inhibitor that included an upfront payment of $40 million
- a strategic collaboration to develop therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s disease
- a $450 million acquisition of a company developing therapeutic antibodies for indications in immunology and oncology
- the acquisition of the global rights to a humanized antibody to treat chronic pain in an agreement that included upfront and milestone payments in excess of $150 million
- Providing strategic analysis of IP landscapes related to anti-viral therapies, including direct-acting antiviral medicines for hepatitis C
- Freedom-to-operate analysis for various commercial products, including small molecule compounds, large molecules, and cellular therapeutics
- Drafting and prosecuting patent applications covering cellular therapies such as stem cells and CAR T-cells; large molecule therapeutics such as antibodies and peptides; small molecule therapeutics such as direct-acting antiviral agents and steroid derivatives; and nucleic acids such as silencing RNAs; nutraceuticals; gene editing, including CRISPR-related applications; molecular biology for next generation sequencing; and viral vector-mediated gene therapy.
Representative Life Science Patents & Applications
- U.S. Patent No. 10,738,108 – “Monoclonal antibodies against claudin-18 for treatment of cancer”
- U.S. Patent No. 10,537,572 – “Methods of administering elagolix"
- U.S. Patent No. 10,526,387 – “Tumor vaccination involving a humoral immune response against self-proteins”
- U.S. Patent No. 10,501,420 – “Pyridyl analogs of 1-(2-cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9(11)dien-28-oyl) imidazole”
- U.S. Patent No. 10,413,444 – “Treatment of ischemia-reperfusion injury by controlling patient temperature”
- U.S. Patent No. 10,398,590 – “Temperature management systems”
- U.S. Patent No. 10,314,890 – “Combination therapy involving antibodies against claudin 18.2 for treatment of pancreatic cancer”
- U.S. Patent No. 10,201,584 – “Compositions and methods for treating HCV”
- U.S. Patent No. 10,072,040 – “Tylosin A analogs and derivatives”
- U.S. Patent No. 10,053,512 – “Antibodies against claudin 18.2 useful in cancer diagnosis”
- U.S. Patent No. 9,932,401 – “Antibodies specific for claudin 6 (CLDN6)”
- U.S. Patent No. 9,598,721 – “Universally applicable lysis buffer and processing methods for the lysis of bodily samples”
- U.S. Patent No. 9,453,007 – “Hepatitis C inhibitors and uses thereof ”
- U.S. Patent No. 9,248,193 – “Formulations of Phenyl Uracil Compounds”
- U.S. Patent No. 9,200,021 – “Phosphine ligands for catalytic reactions”
- “40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch,” Law Bulletin Publishing Company, 2016
- Illinois Super Lawyers “Rising Star” in “Intellectual Property,” 2016-2017
- The Best Lawyers in America, recommended in “Patent Law” since 2025
Bar Admissions
- Illinois
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
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