Elizabeth C. Tuan

Elizabeth Tuan’s practice focuses primarily on patent litigation in a wide range of industries, including biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Recently, she represented a biopharmaceutical company and a cancer institution in pursuing infringement of a patent claiming a novel cancer immunotherapy. The litigation ended in a $752 million jury verdict, which the judge enhanced to $1.2 billion.

Elizabeth’s practice also includes representing clients in post-grant proceedings challenging the validity of issued patents before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Most recently, she represented a patent owner in an inter partes review and successfully secured a final written decision rejecting each of the petitioner’s validity challenges in that proceeding. The Federal Circuit affirmed that decision in a summary affirmance.

Additionally, Elizabeth maintains an active pro bono practice. Most recently, she successfully argued on behalf of pro bono clients in front of the California Court of Appeal, which affirmed the decision of the trial court denying a petition to compel arbitration. The case settled favorably. Elizabeth is also a member of the firm’s Hiring and Diversity Committees, and recently served as the co-chair of the firm’s Summer Committee.

Elizabeth is conversant in Mandarin Chinese.

Experience

• Juno Therapeutics, Inc. et al. v. Kite Pharma, Inc. (C.D. Cal.). Currently representing Juno Therapeutics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research in a patent infringement action relating to chimeric antigen receptor technology for the treatment of B cell cancers. The district court trial ended in a $752 million jury verdict, which the judge enhanced to $1.2 billion.
• RainDance Technologies et al. v. 10X Genomics (D. Del.). Represented 10X Genomics in a patent litigation suit relating to methods of preparing DNA samples for sequencing through the use of microfluidic technology.
• Kite Pharma, Inc. v. Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research (PTAB). Represented patent owner Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research and exclusive licensee Juno Therapeutics in an inter partes review proceeding relating to chimeric antigen receptor technology. The USPTO issued a final written decision upholding all claims of the patent, which was affirmed without opinion by the Federal Circuit.
• Koninklijke Philips N.V. et. al. v. ZOLL Lifecor Corp (W.D. Pa.). Represented ZOLL Lifecor Corp. in patent litigation relating to external defibrillator technology. The case settled favorably.
• Juno Therapeutics Inc. et al. v. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. et al. (E. D. Pa.). Represented Juno Therapeutics in patent and contract dispute surrounding chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies for the treatment of B cell cancers. The case settled favorably after several years of litigation, with Juno receiving upfront and milestone payments from Novartis as well as ongoing royalties.

News

Honors & Awards

• Selected to Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Leaders of Influence: Minority Attorneys” list (2024)
• Named to the Southern California Rising Stars list (2017-2023)
• Recognized as one of five “IP Rising Stars” by Law360 (2021)