SVP, AOBiome Therapeutics
If you’ve been wondering if a single strain of bacteria could potentially solve a host of medical issues in humans, look no further than the work being done at AOBiome Therapeutics.
“We are at the forefront of this idea that there is bacteria that can be simply put on your skin, and may actually be restorative and have a significant impact on your health,” says Jim Hoffman, Senior VP of Strategic Alliances and Communications at AOBiome. “Think of how easy that is. It’s not a complex formula that has side effects. It’s one strain of bacteria.”
Jim has had plenty of experience with IP in past roles, “but to be fair, I’m a tech guy,” he says. He oversees the patent aspects of AOBiome, and that includes his relationship with Lando & Anastasi.
“Lando has been essential in helping us create what we refer to as a Gordian knot of interwoven patents that protect us from all potential aspects of that technology,” Jim says. “There is a lot of complexity involved in getting patents on biologics. We were one of the first to do that.”
“Lando & Anastasi challenges us to think deeper and more broadly, while staying within the scope of reasonableness,” he continues. “They’re our outside consultants. People don’t typically think of lawyers as consultants, but Lando is. They’re bringing both the legal aspect as well as objective insight. They ask hard questions. That’s why we have such a good track record of getting our patents issued. They’re not just taking direction without challenging us.”
“Of all the people we work with, including the corporate attorneys, no one has the knowledge and understanding of what we do like Nicole and Louis at Lando & Anastasi,” Jim says. “They have never forgotten the strategy and reasoning behind what we do.”
While the company is still in clinical trials, they are laser focused on the emergence of inflammatory diseases like eczema that didn’t exist 60 years ago.
“We’re killing all bacteria by sterilizing our skin every day,” Jim says. “We’re smart enough to know that we sterilize our guts and need to repopulate them with good bacteria. How is it that we’re not doing the same thing with our skin?”
“I had other plans for this stage in my life,” he continues. “The last thing I ever envisioned was working at a biotech company. Truly, this is the most important thing I’ve done in my life.”
