Thera Lee

Technical Advisor

Thera Lee
  • PhD (Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology), University of Minnesota, 2020
  • BS (Biology), Duke University, 2012; Cell and Molecular Concentration

Qualifications

  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Patent Agent, 2021

Thera Lee

Technical Advisor

Thera Lee joined Ropes & Gray as a technical advisor in the intellectual property group in 2021. Prior to joining the firm, she earned her Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) where her work in T cell development helped define the distinct functional roles of hematopoietic and stromal antigen presenting cells in the thymus. 

During her Ph.D. studies, she interned at the University of Minnesota Office of Technology Commercialization where she helped managers by conducting patent searches and assessing commercialization potential of new technologies. Thera’s research experience also includes time as a technician at Emory University, where she was involved in studies related to HIV/SIV pathogenesis and cure. 

Experience

  • Assisting a global pharmaceutical company with a pre-litigation investigation concerning multiple biologics patents under the BPCIA.

Publications

  • Lee et al. “MHC Class I on murine hematopoietic APC selects Type A IEL precursors in the thymus,” Eur. J. Immunol. (2021)
  • Co-author, “Intestinal CD8αα IEL derived from two distinct thymic precursors have staggered ontogeny,” J. Exp. Med. (2020)
  • Co-author, “Directing T cell fate: How thymic antigen presenting cells coordinate thymocyte selection,” Semin. Cell Dev. Biol. (2017)
  • Co-author, “Lineage-specific effector signatures of invariant NKT cells are shared amongst γδ T, innate lymphoid, and Th cells,” J. Immunol. (2016)
  • Co-author, “Quantifying integrated SIV-DNA by repetitive-sampling Alu-gag PCR,” J. Virus Erad. (2016)
  • Co-author, “Increased immune activation and exhaustion in HIV-infected youth,” Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. (2016)
  • Co-author, “Chitin recognition via chitotriosidase promotes pathologic type-2 helper T cell responses to cryptococcal infection,” PLoS Pathog. (2015) 
  • Co-author, “Activated CD4+CCR5+ T cells in the rectum predict increased SIV acquisition in SIVGag/Tat-vaccinated rhesus macaques,” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (2014)
  • Co-author, “Persistence of virus reservoirs in ART-treated SHIV-infected rhesus macaques after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant,” PLoS Pathog. (2014) 
  • Co-author, “Target cell availability, rather than breast milk factors, dictates mother-to-infant transmission of SIV in sooty mangabeys and rhesus macaques,” PLoS Pathog. (2014) 
  • PhD (Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology), University of Minnesota, 2020
  • BS (Biology), Duke University, 2012; Cell and Molecular Concentration

Qualifications

  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Patent Agent, 2021
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