News Release
RainDance Technologies Appoints Alan Sherr as Vice President and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel
Sherr to lead the growth and management of RainDance’s foundational IP portfolio centered on the company’s disruptive microdroplet platform technology
LEXINGTON, Mass. – June 23, 2010 – RainDance Technologies, Inc., a private company pioneering microdroplet-based technologies for single-molecule and single-cell analysis, today announced the appointment of Alan Sherr as Vice President and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel.
Mr. Sherr brings 30 years of experience in regulatory, corporate, and intellectual property (IP) law, including deep experience in life science tools and diagnostics to RainDance. He previously served as Vice President, Chief Intellectual Property Counsel at Helicos BioSciences. From 2000 to 2007, Mr. Sherr was Senior IP Counsel and Vice President of Licensing at Affymetrix. From 1990 to 2000, Mr. Sherr was an attorney in private practice with leading intellectual property and general corporate law firms including Wolf, Greenfield, and Sacks and Hale and Dorr. Prior to that, he was General Counsel to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Human Services, and a Massachusetts Assistant Attorney General. He holds a J.D. from Boston University, an MSEE from Stanford University, and a BSEE from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
“Alan’s tremendous track record in growing, prosecuting, and defending foundational patent estates for transformational platform technologies and high-growth tools and diagnostics companies will be incredibly valuable as we continue to develop the RainDance intellectual property portfolio,” said Roopom Banerjee, President and CEO of RainDance Technologies. “This appointment reflects our commitment and investment to protect and grow our leading patent portfolio for microdroplet-based technologies across a broad range of genomic, protein and cell-based applications.”
Mr. Sherr will also lead RainDance’s intellectual property strategy with respect to licensing partnerships and strategic collaborations, and will play a central role in the pursuit of innovative future applications for the Company’s microdroplet technology. Today, RainDance holds approximately 70 issued and/or pending patents and 400 in-licensed patents worldwide.
Michael W. Hunkapiller, General Partner at Alloy Ventures and Director at RainDance added, “Since its inception in 2004, RainDance has compiled an early and broad global patent portfolio for the application of microdroplet technologies in the life sciences. The Company’s current commercial applications in PCR-based targeted resequencing validation and sequence enrichment are unique and well protected. The Company is also well positioned to pursue novel applications in PCR and single cell analysis. We are excited to welcome Alan to lead the next phase of growth and management of RainDance’s IP portfolio.”
“RainDance has amassed an extraordinary base of home-grown and in-licensed patents, and I look forward to strengthening that position as the company addresses the needs of researchers at the leading edge of the revolution in personalized medicine," said Mr. Sherr. “I am excited to be joining in this role at an important inflection point in the Company’s growth.”
About RainDance Technologies
RainDance Technologies is pioneering the use of high-throughput microdroplet-based analysis in human health and life science research. The company's core RainStorm™ technology generates millions of discrete droplets that can encapsulate a single molecule, cell or reaction and be digitally analyzed and sorted one at a time. The power, precision and simplicity of microdroplets enable researchers to answer complex questions with unprecedented sensitivity and quantitation. The complete RainDance solution includes automated instrumentation, customizable bioinformatics and high-value consumables and reagents for applications including targeted next-generation DNA sequencing, methylation, digital PCR and single cell analysis. Based in Lexington, Massachusetts, the company supports scientists around the world through its international sales and support operations and a global network of distributors and service providers. For more information, please visit www.RainDanceTech.com.
RainDance, RainStorm, ThunderStorm, Digital Biology are trademarks of RainDance Technologies, Inc. All other brands may be trademarks of their respective holders.
For technical questions contact:
James Brayer
RainDance Technologies
44 Hartwell Avenue
Lexington, MA 02421
781-861-6300
info@raindancetech.com
For press inquiries:
Colin Sanford
203-340-2441
colin@bioscribe.com
