Partner
Dr. Lila Hope focuses on the representation of life sciences companies discovering, developing and marketing pharmaceutical, vaccine, medical device, diagnostic and digital health products. Lila specializes in transactions involving complex intellectual property, business, operational and legal issues, including strategic partnerships and platform discovery and option deals. In addition, she counsels clients’ management, operational and legal teams on day-to-day matters involving licensing, supply, distribution, clinical trials, research collaborations and vendor services. She is also regularly involved in the evaluation of a company’s product rights and operational risks in connection with financing, public offering and M&A transactions. Lila maintains an active practice in cross-border licensing transactions, concluding over 20 transactions involving Asian biotechnology companies between 2015 and 2021.
Lila graduated with a JD magna cum laude in 2002 from Duke University School of Law, where she was elected to Order of the Coif. At Duke, she was awarded the “Class of 1968 Scholarship.” She earned her PhD in Cancer Biology from Stanford University School of Medicine in 1999, characterizing a novel tumor susceptibility gene as a Stanford Markey Predoctoral Fellow.
Lila is a member of the State Bar of California and the American Bar Association. She has been heavily involved with both Duke Law and Stanford Medicine over the past decade, having served as the past President and a past board member of both the Duke Law Alumni Association and the Stanford Medicine Alumni Association. She currently serves as a member of the Duke Law Board of Visitors.
Lila’s recent significant transactions include:
Strategic Partnership and Collaborations:
- Fate Therapeutics in the expansion of its off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived, cell-based cancer immunotherapy collaboration with ONO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (2022)
- Vera Therapeutics in its acquisition of monoclonal antibody from Pfizer (2022)
- Akoya Biosciences in its companion diagnostic collaboration with Acrivon Therapeutics (2022)
- SiteOne Therapeutics in its collaboration and license agreement with Vertex Pharmaceuticals (2022)
- COUR Pharmaceuticals in its platform license with Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (2022)
- Multiple myeloma drug collaboration between Eureka and Sanofi (2021)
- Novel topical drug collaboration between Inmagene and TWIB (2021)
- Autoimmune antibody collaboration between Zai and argenx (2021)
- Monoclonal antibody exclusive license worldwide between I-Mab Biopharma and AbbVie. Named “Deal of the Year” by BioCentury BayHelix (2020)
- Allogeneic cell therapy product license and platform collaboration between Fate and Janssen (2020)
- Viral immunotherapy platform collaboration between Turnstone and Takeda (2019)
- Kidney diseases discovery platform collaboration between Goldfinch and Gilead (2019)
- Immunology product collaboration between Avidity and Eli Lilly (2019)
- Allogeneic cell therapy product license and platform collaboration between Fate and Ono (2018)
- Neurodegenerative disease platform collaboration between Takeda and Denali (2018)
- Immunotherapy platform collaboration between Xyphos and PICI (2018)
- Viral immunotherapy platform collaboration between Turnstone and AbbVie (2017)
- Microbiome discovery collaboration between Takeda and Nubiota (2017)
- Anti-coagulation drug collaboration between NovImmune and Shire (2017), and between NovImmune and Genentech (2016)
- Platform collaboration between Urogen and Allergan (2016)
- Neuromuscular disease product license and collaboration between Cytokinetics and Astellas (2016 and 2014)
- Strategic partnership between Kite and bluebird (2015)
- Mitochondria platform collaboration between Gencia and Takeda (2015)
- Autoimmune platform collaboration between Cour and Takeda (2015)
- CAR T Collaboration among Intrexon, Ziopharm and MDACC (2015)
- Rare disease platform collaboration between Ultragenyx and Arcturus (2015)
- Companion diagnostics collaboration between Guardant and Mirati (2015)
Cross-border Transactions:
- Zai Lab Limited in its product license agreement with Seagen Inc. (2022)
- and collaboration between Jacobio and AbbVie (2020)
- Product commercialization collaboration between Zai Lab and Renegeron (2020)
- License and collaboration between Zai Lab and Deciphera (2019), between Zai Lab and MacroGenics (2018), between Zai Lab and Paratek (2017), between Zai Lab and TESARO (2016), between Zai Lab and GSK (2016), between Zai Lab and Bristol-Meyers Squibb (2015), between Zai Lab and Sanofi (2015), and between Zai Lab and UCB (2015)
- License and collaboration between Everest and Calliditas (2019)
- Anti-viral product license between Ark Biosciences and Roche (2018)
- License and collaboration between VISEN (a China JV) and Ascendis (2018)
- License and collaboration between I-Mab and MorphoSys (2017)
Public Offering and Financing Support:
- Legend Biotech IPO (2020)
- Grossamer Biotech IPO and follow-on offering (2019 and 2020)
- Softbank investment in Relay (2018)
- Softbank investment in Roivant and follow-on financing (2017 and 2018)
- Guardant IPO (2018)
- Mitsubishi investment in Vaxcyte (2017)
- AnaptysBio IPO (2017)
- Syndax IPO (2016)
- Prothena IPO and follow-on offering (2014 and 2015)
- Ascendis IPO (2015)
- Nexvet IPO (2015)
Accolades:
- Leading Lawyer for Life Sciences: Corporate/Commercial – Chambers, California
- Key lawyer in the Healthcare: Life Sciences – Legal 500
The Cooley life sciences partnering team is globally recognized as the leading life sciences partnering and collaborations practice as demonstrated by achieving the 2022 Licensing & Collaboration Firm of the Year by LMG Life Sciences. In addition, the Cooley life sciences practices continues to be named a leading firm for life sciences across several well-respected global rankings such as Chambers USA, Chambers UK, The Legal 500 and LMG Life Sciences EMEA.
Education
- Duke University School of Law
JD, 2002, magna cum laude - Stanford University
PHD, 1999, Cancer Biology - Oregon Graduate Institute
MS, 1993
Admissions & Credentials
- California
Memberships
- American Bar Association