Elena Rodriguez, Ph.D.

Elena Rodriguez, Ph.D. is a patent lawyer with deep knowledge of cancer biology as well as molecular and cell biology. She focuses her practice on domestic and international patent prosecution, diligence, and related transactions for clients within the life sciences sector, including antibody therapies, cell therapies, peptide-based therapeutics, CRISPR and genetic engineering, gene therapies, and RNA-based therapeutics. Elena’s practice involves strategic patent counseling and intellectual property due diligence for life sciences clients, including companies and investors. She has wide-ranging experience assisting clients in understanding competitive landscapes and assessing risks involving complex intellectual property assets. Her technical proficiency encompasses molecular cell biology and biochemistry involving cell signaling, cancer biology, drug discovery, translational medicine, molecular cloning, mammalian cell cultivation, virus utilization, primary cell culture preparation, flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, quantitative PCR, sequencing, and protein purification.

Prior to joining Greenberg Traurig, Elena served as patent counsel at AbbVie, Inc., where she managed patent strategy and prosecution for numerous assets in the oncology portfolio, including therapeutic antibodies, small molecules and cell therapies. She was instrumental in leading IP diligence for potential acquisitions, collaborating with the business development team on third-party opportunities, and analyzing patent portfolios of third-party assets. Additionally, she was responsible for performing IP reviews of scientific manuscripts, leading strategic projects for pharmaceutical intellectual property advocacy in foreign jurisdictions, and overseeing strategy for competitor patent oppositions.

Before joining AbbVie, Elena worked as an associate at a global law firm. Elena also worked as a post-doctoral researcher in the field of cancer biology in the laboratory of Nobel Laureate J. Michael Bishop at the University of California, San Francisco.