Overview
Candace has worked with some of the most recognisable global pharmaceutical companies to secure and defend their innovations and is known for her commercial approach to protecting and navigating IP, with particular technical expertise in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and the broader life sciences area.
Her experience spans local and international patent prosecution, oppositions, infringement and validity advice, drafting patent specifications, and securing patent term extensions for pharmaceuticals and biologics.
Having worked in a commercial law firm, Candace delivers tailored advice to position clients strategically for potential litigation while safeguarding their commercial objectives.
Candace holds a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Melbourne and the Florey Institute, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Commercialisation from the Melbourne Business School. Her academic and research background gives her a broad and deep understanding of the translational strategy for her clients.
After being awarded the most highly regarded PhD thesis at the Florey Institute, Candace was recruited by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Baltimore, USA. Her postdoctoral research involved developing a non-invasive system to capture pure mature neurons from living human patients for clinical biomarker assessment; and investigating the role of a transcription factor mutation in protein aggregation, which is linked to familial schizophrenia. As a result of her biomarker research, Candace is named as an inventor on a granted US patent covering the technology.
Candace is an active member of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia, the Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand, and AusBiotech.