Associate
Rachael Dippold, Ph.D., provides strategic counseling and patent prosecution services for clients of various sizes and stages. As a patent attorney with a doctorate in molecular biology, she draws on her technical experience to assist in matters related to a wide range of life science technologies, including biologics, pharmaceuticals, gene therapy, vaccines, biotechnology, diagnostics, and agricultural science.
Rachael helps clients develop their intellectual property (IP) protection strategies and manages global patent prosecution portfolios. She also conducts patent due diligence and provides freedom-to-operate (FTO), patentability, infringement, and validity opinions.
Rachael employs a decade’s worth of prosecution and counseling experience while also drawing upon her experience with adversarial actions. She has been involved in various stages of district court litigation, including analyzing patent portfolios for assertion; developing claim construction; infringement and validity positions; drafting discovery requests and responses; and working with experts. Rachael leverages her experience in drug regulation while at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in counseling pharmaceutical clients.
Prior to her legal career, Rachael conducted research focused mainly on the regulation of gene expression via transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms and the prediction of systems-level gene regulatory networks. Rachael also conducted predoctoral research in biochemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. Her technical experience includes a range of molecular, biochemical, and bioinformatics tools and techniques.
Former regulatory counsel at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Division of Policy Development, Office of Generic Drug Policy, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Generic Drug Policy, 2023-2025.
Former postdoctoral researcher at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, where her research focused on the role of miR-21 in liver regeneration of the chronic ethanol-exposed liver, 2014.
Former postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where her research focused on the regulation of gene expression and post-translational modification in vascular smooth muscle contractility, 2012-2014.
Coauthor. “Inhibition of miR-21 Rescues Liver Regeneration after Partial Hepatectomy in Ethanol-Fed Rats,” American Journal of Physiology,” Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, 2016.
Coauthor. “A Bioinformatic and Computational Study of Myosin Phosphatase Subunit Diversity,” American Journal of Physiology, Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 2014.
Coauthor. “Myosin Phosphatase Isoforms as Determinants of Smooth Muscle Contractile Function and Calcium Sensitivity of Force Production,” Microcirculation, 2013.
Coauthor. “Chronic Ethanol Feeding Alters miRNA Expression Dynamics During Liver Regeneration,” Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2013.
Coauthor. “Chronic Ethanol Feeding Enhances miR-21 Induction During Liver Regeneration While Inhibiting Proliferation in Rats,” American Journal of Physiology,” Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, 2012.
Coauthor. “Loss of Iron-Sulfur Clusters from Biotin Synthase as a Result of Catalysis Promotes Unfolding and Degradation” Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 2008.
AbbVie Inc. et al v. Alvotech hf.
1:21-cv-02258, 1:21-cv-02899, N.D. Ill., Judge Lee
AbbVie Inc. v. Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH
Member of team representing AbbVie in Biologics Price Competition and Innovation (BPCIA) litigation related to Humira®.
1:17-cv-01065, D. Del., Judge Goldberg
Finnegan is lead and preferred IP transactions counsel for one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, handling more than 50 diligence projects each year, including all IP and related transactional aspects of the matters. The transactions span the full gamut of technologies from small molecule through biologics such as antibodies, oligonucleotides, and gene therapies. Finnegan also provides extensive assistance with post-deal integration procedures and subsequent global prosecution and portfolio strategy, ensuring a seamless transition of IP assets to the company and maximum value from acquired IP.
Global prosecution and portfolio management for major pharmaceutical company
Finnegan is lead and preferred IP strategy counsel for one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, handling all aspects of prosecution and portfolio management for multiple top-tier products for the client. The work spans the gamut from drafting and prosecution through larger strategic planning, patent term extension, and pre-litigation preparation on blockbuster small molecule and biologic products in the oncology, rheumatology, immunology, neuromuscular, and cell and gene therapy spaces.
Corteva Agriscience LLC v. Monsanto Company et al.
Representing plaintiff Corteva Agriscience in a district court patent infringement litigation involving transgenic plants and plant cells that produce enzymes conferring herbicide resistance.
1:22-cv-01046, D. Del., Judge Williams
Articles
Counting Patents, Not Progress: Another Misdiagnosis by I-MAK Counting Patents, Not Progress: Another Misdiagnosis by I-MAK
October 21, 2025
IP WatchdogProsecution First Blog
Cancer Immunotherapy Pilot Program Set to Expire in June Unless Extended Cancer Immunotherapy Pilot Program Set to Expire in June Unless Extended
June 6, 2017
Prosecution First Blog
USPTO Seeks Public Feedback and Ideas at Subject Matter Eligibility Roundtables USPTO Seeks Public Feedback and Ideas at Subject Matter Eligibility Roundtables
October 17, 2016
Prosecution First Blog
Making and Rescinding Transition Statements Making and Rescinding Transition Statements
March 24, 2016
cum laude, 2020
magna cum laude, 2004
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