Dr. David Pountney

Dr David Pountney provides technical support and assistance to lawyers in the Lifesciences Group on a number of matters, including patent litigation, patent due diligence, regulatory matters, and M&A and commercial deals where there is a need to review scientific and technical issues. 

Prior to joining CMS Cameron McKenna, David held research positions in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry. David has conducted scientific research across several therapeutic areas in medical centres in Paris and New York, and for many years led a pre-clinical drug discovery team at GlaxoSmithKline.

Related experience includes:

Drug discovery:

• GlaxoSmithKline on trans-national matrix drug discovery projects across several areas of the Molecular Discovery Research Division, including the pain and depression therapeutic areas. He acquired a detailed understanding of the pre-clinical drug discovery process and proposed several novel targets for pain, which subsequently entered the early stage portfolio. David also conducted technical due diligence, evaluating external technology for potential in-licensing
• New York University Medical Centre in investigating novel cardiac genes important in regulating the heartbeat and involved in cardiovascular disease
• Hôpital Bichat, Paris, France on discovering and characterising novel genes and proteins involved in nutritional and blood disorders such as anaemia and genetic haemchromatosis

Scientific communication:

• Published technical and research papers in scientific journals including Developmental Biology; The Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), The Journal of Cell Science, Annals of the New York Academy of Science, and FEBS Letters
• Freelance science and health writer, conducting research and writing articles covering a broad range of scientific, disease, commercial and healthcare issues. Recent assignments include contributions to the British Medical Journal (BMJ), Cancer Nursing Practice, Chemistry & Industry, and Nursing Older People
• Occasional lectures to the Neuroscience BSc degree course at King’s College London

Education:

David graduated from University College Swansea in Biochemistry and obtained a PhD degree in Clinical Biochemistry from King’s College London.