Stites & Harbison, PLLC

Mandy Wilson Decker is a Life Sciences Patent Attorney and is a member of the Intellectual Property & Technology Service Group.  Her practice focuses on patent-related aspects of intellectual property, including patent drafting, patent prosecution and counseling clients on infringement, validity and patentability.  Contributing to her practice is a scientific background in chemistry and experience with academic and commercial research in the areas of biochemistry, biotechnology and pharmaceutical sciences.

Recent Assignments

• Counseled Technology Transfer and Licensing Offices of various Universities regarding strategies for protecting patent-based intellectual property
• Prepared and prosecuted patent applications in a wide variety of chemical, biochemical, biotechnological and mechanical arts derived from both academic and commercial research

Recent Speaking Engagements and Publications

• "U.S. Supreme Court kicks Myriad, the Gene Patent Case, back to the Federal Circuit for consideration in view of the Mayo Opinion," Stites & Harbison, PLLC, Client Alert, March 27, 2012
• "U.S. Supreme Court decision gives rise to new challenges for patent protection in the field of personalized medicine and beyond," Stites & Harbison, PLLC, Client Alert, March 21, 2012
• "America Invents Act: What's New in the New Patent Act?," Medical News, December 2011
• Lecturer, "Patent Prosecution," University of Kentucky, College of Law, Intellectual Property Law, November 17, 2011
• Lecturer, "Intellectual Property," University of Kentucky, Scholars in Engineering and Management (SEAM), October 27, 2011
• "Protecting Your Intellectual Property," University of Kentucky Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship and Kentucky BioAlliance, Lexington, Ky., October 13, 2011
• Due Diligence Panel, "Angel Investing Overview Seminar," Angel Resource Institute, Lexington, Ky., September 8, 2011
• "Developing and Integrating a Comprehensive IP Strategy in a Global Marketplace," Kentucky BioAlliance and Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC), Louisville, Ky., June 21, 2011
• "Mutant court case? The uncertain future of innovation for DNA-based technologies, from diagnosis to vaccine production tools," Medical News, May 2010
• "Update:  Therapeutic Discovery Project Tax Credit Program - New Information Released May 21, 2010," Stites & Harbison, PLLC, Client Alert, May 21, 2010
• "Patent law - basics and strategies," Entrepreneurial Workshop 2010, Louisville, Ky., May 20, 2010
• "Biotechnology companies receive R&D incentive from Health Care Reform, including tax credit and grant program for qualified therapeutic discovery projects," Stites & Harbison, PLLC, Client Alert, April 29, 2010
• "Intellectual Property, Business Bootcamp," Ohio Valley Affiliates for Life Sciences (OVALS) Annual Meeting, Louisville, KY, April 2010
• Facilitator, "Biotechnology and Life Sciences Patent Prosecution Special Interest Group," Association of University Technology Managers Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, March 2010
• Author, "Life Sciences Technology: Ten Intellectual Property Issues to Consider," Medical News, Louisville, KY, May 2009
• Co-moderator, "The Developing Landscape of Biotechnology Patent Law," Association of University Technology Managers Annual Meeting, Orlando, Fla., February 2009
• "Protecting Your Ideas," Kentucky Innovation & Enterprise Conference, Lexington, KY, April 2008
• Panelist for Intellectual Property and Marketing 101, Business Bootcamp / Ohio Valley Affiliates for Life Sciences, Louisville, KY, April 2008
• Moderator for Biotechnology Panel, Law Ethics and Life Sciences Conference, Louisville, KY, October 2007
• "Leveraging and Protecting Intellectual Property," SBIR/STTR National Conference, Small Business Research Institute and Small Business Technology Transfer, Louisville, KY, May 2006
• "IP Update: The Plain English News You Can Use," Association of University Technology Managers, Graduate Course, Tempe, AZ, November 2004
• "Key Business Topics: Intellectual Property," Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs (STTR) Conference (SWIFT), Louisville, KY, September 2004
• "Intellectual Property Basics," Center for Higher Education Law, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, February 2004
• Wilson, M.V., "Pharmaceutical Patent Protection: More Generic Favored Legislation May Cause Pioneer Drug Companies to Pull the Plug on Innovation," 90 Kentucky Law Journal 495 (2002)
• Jacobson, E.L., Wilson, M.V., Roberts, M.J., Jacobson, M.K., Abstract, "Functional Pathways of NAD Biosynthesis in Human Skin Fibroblasts and Keratinocytes," 114 Journal of Investigative Dermatology 850, 2000
• Shieh, W.M., Amé, J.-C., Wilson, M.V., Wang, L.-Q., Koh, D., Jacobson, M.K., Jacobson, E.L., "PARP Null Mouse Cells Synthesize ADP-ribose Polymers," 273 Journal of Biological Chemistry 30069, 1998

Before Stites & Harbison

Mandy joined the firm after working as a scientific research associate at the University of Kentucky in laboratories housed in the Advanced Science Technology and Commercialization Center. These labs received substantial funding from the National Institutes of Health to conduct research to better understand responses to genotoxic stress, and its implications for treatment and prevention of cancer and age-related conditions.  Mandy's scientific research experience also involved working with Niadyne, Inc., a biotechnology company involved in the research and development of dermatology products, including cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical skin care products to address various health care needs.

More Than Stites & Harbison

Mandy was named to the "Forty under 40" list by Business First of Louisville in September 2008, and in March 2011 she was named one of the Partners in Health Care People to Watch by Business First of Louisville.  She is a member of the Board of Directors of Kentucky BioAlliance.  She is also a volunteer, member of the Board of Directors, Vice President, and Committee Chair for Crane House, a Louisville organization dedicated to improving understanding between Asia and the United States, and she serves on the Annual Campaign Committee of the Legal Aid Society.