Christopher L. Frank, Ph.D., is a technical specialist at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP in the Firm’s Boston office. His practice focuses on intellectual property law in the life sciences and pharmaceutical fields.

Dr. Frank assists clients with freedom-to-operate and validity investigations, infringement analysis, due diligence, and patent procurement in the pharmaceutical, biotechnical and chemical sciences. He has extensive research experience in the fields of virology, cell biology, molecular biology, and neuroscience, and has prosecuted patent applications in these areas for domestic and international clients.

Dr. Frank’s doctoral research at Harvard University addressed the mechanisms by which the ubiquitin- proteasome system targets proteins for degradation through post-translational modifications. His post-doctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology focused on the in vivo relevance of these mechanisms in mammalian neurodevelopment and psychiatric disorders. He has co-authored many publications in various scientific journals. Dr. Frank is fluent in Japanese, and prior to attending college, he worked as a translator in Japan for a civil engineering company.

Dr. Frank is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He earned his PhD in Cellular and Developmental Biology from Harvard University in 2008, and earned his Bachelors of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Bachelors of Arts in Russian Language and Literature from the University of Washington in 2001.