Thomas A. Isenbarger, J.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Isenbarger focuses his practice on drafting and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patent applications and developing intellectual property portfolios. He regularly assists and advises clients in matters of post-issuance proceedings, due diligence review, licensing, patentability, freedom to operate, invalidity, and enforceability. He also counsels clients in technology commercialization and in other areas of intellectual property, including trademarks, trade dress, copyrights, and trade secrets.

Dr. Isenbarger provides clients with coordinated intellectual property strategies by identifying relevant aspects of intellectual property development and integrating them to provide holistic portfolio management, monitoring, and enforcement that align with and promote business goals and development. His clients include publicly traded corporations, small and mid-size biotechnology companies, universities, non-profit organizations, and manufacturing companies.

His areas of technical expertise include molecular biology, biochemistry, nucleic acid amplification (PCR, isothermal amplification, and related technologies), bioinformatics, genomics, metagenomics, nucleic acid sequencing, nucleic acid and protein diagnostics, lateral flow assays, SARS-CoV-2, CRISPR and related technologies, antibodies and immunology, plant genetics and breeding, molecular evolution and phylogeny, environmental microbiology, natural products discovery, psychedelic drug therapies (psilocybin, DMT, and related compounds), RNA interference, medical imaging, radiotherapy, microarrays, materials, microfluidics, mechanical devices, automated driving technologies, three-dimensional printing, and weather sensing.

Professional Experience

Shareholder, 2018 to present
Associate, Casimir Jones, 2010 to 2017
Summer Associate, Foley & Lardner, 2008 & 2009
Postdoctoral Scientist, Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, 2004-2007
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, and Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 2001-2004
Graduate student, Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin – Madison, 1994-2001

Education

University of Wisconsin Law School, J.D. (magna cum laude, Order of the Coif), 2010
University of Wisconsin – Madison, Ph.D., Biomolecular Chemistry, 2001
University of Notre Dame, B.S. (summa cum laude), Biochemistry, 1994

Admitted

State Bar of Wisconsin
United States Patent and Trademark Office

Publications

1. Isenbarger, T.A., In re Kubin’s Reinvigorated Nonobviousness Standard for DNA Patents, Wisconsin Law Review 2009(6): 1435–1470 (2010).

2. Friedländer, M., Adamidi, C., Han, T., Lebedeva, S., Isenbarger, T., Hirst, M., Marra, M., Nusbaum, C., Lee, W., Jenkin, J., Sanchez Alvarado, A., Kim, J., Rajewsky, N. High-resolution Profiling and Discovery of Planarian Small RNAs, PNAS 106(28): 11546–11551 (2009).

3. Isenbarger, T.A., Carr, C.E., Johnson, S.S., Finney, M., Church, G.M., Gilbert, W., Zuber, M.T., & Ruvkun, G. The Most Conserved Genome Segments for Life Detection on Earth and Other Planets, Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres 38(6): 517–533 (2008).

4. Isenbarger, T.A., Finney, M., Handelsman, J., & Ruvkun, G. Miniprimer PCR, a New Lens for Viewing the Microbial World, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74(3): 745–752 (2008).

5. Isenbarger, T.A., & Krebs, M.P. Thermodynamic Stability of the Bacteriorhodopsin Lattice As Measured by Lipid Dilution. Biochemistry 40(39): 11923–11931 (2001).

6. Ng, W.V., Kennedy, S.P., . . ., Isenbarger, T.A., . . ., Hood, L., & DasSarma, S. Genome Sequence of Halobacterium species NRC-1. PNAS 97(22): 11677–12388 (2000).

7. Krebs, M.P., & Isenbarger, T.A. Structural Determinants of Purple Membrane Assembly. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1460(1): 15–26 (2000).

8. Isenbarger, T.A., & Krebs, M.P. Role of Helix-Helix Interactions in Assembly of the Bacteriorhodopsin Lattice. Biochemistry 38(28): 9023–9030 (1999)