Dr. Finkelstein provides expert witness testimony and technical consulting in patent matters involving biotechnology, cell and gene therapy, molecular biology, and gene editing. His dual perspective as a working scientist at the forefront of gene editing research and a participant in foundational patent proceedings gives him a unique ability to translate complex science for legal and regulatory audiences.

Areas of Expertise

Gene Editing & Gene Therapy

  • CRISPR-Cas9, Cas12a, Cas13 mechanisms and specificity
  • Guide RNA design and off-target effects
  • Base editing, prime editing, retron editing
  • Gene therapy delivery and expression systems

Cell & Gene Therapy

  • Cell engineering and modification
  • Ex vivo and in vivo gene therapy approaches
  • Delivery technologies (viral vectors, lipid nanoparticles)
  • Therapeutic development and manufacturing

Molecular Biology & Biotechnology

  • Next-generation sequencing (NGS) biochemistry
  • Single-molecule biophysics
  • Protein-DNA/RNA interactions
  • Protein engineering and directed evolution
  • Synthetic biology

Patent-Specific Expertise

  • Prior art analysis for biotechnology patents
  • Enablement and written description in life sciences
  • Claim construction involving molecular biology
  • Technical due diligence for biotech IP transactions
Representative Experience

Ilya Finkelstein has served as an expert witness and technical consultant in U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) interference proceedings and European Patent Office (EPO) opposition proceedings involving foundational gene editing patents.

Credentials
Publications97+ peer-reviewed papers
Citations>8,500 (h-index 48)
Patents3 issued (CRISPR, sequencing, spike protein)
High-Impact JournalsNature Biotechnology, Cell, Science, Molecular Cell
RecognitionO'Donnell Award (TAMEST), Welch Hackerman Award, NSF CAREER
Selected Relevant Publications
  1. Buffington et al. "Retron genome editing" — Nature Biotechnology (2025)
  2. Jones et al. "Massively parallel profiling of CRISPR nucleases" — Nature Biotechnology (2021)
  3. Jung et al. "CRISPR-Cas on NGS chips" — Cell (2017)
  4. Dillard et al. "CRISPR primed acquisition" — Cell (2018)
  5. Hsieh et al. "HexaPro COVID spike protein" — Science (2020)
Contact

For inquiries regarding expert witness engagement or technical consulting: ilya@finkelsteinlab.org