Cai

Mi Cai, Ph.D.

Associate
Registered Patent Attorney
Boston

I am passionate about helping clients transform their inventions to valuable intellectual property assets.

Mi Cai is a U.S. Registered Patent Attorney specializing in intellectual property law with a focus on the life sciences industry. Dr. Cai’s practice emphasizes preparation and prosecution of U.S. and foreign patent applications in the areas of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, as well as worldwide patent portfolio development and management. Dr. Cai also assists clients with competitive landscape analyses, freedom-to-operate assessments, IP due diligence review, and non-infringement and invalidity opinions. 
 

Dr. Cai represents clients ranging from large publicly traded pharmaceutical companies to emerging startup companies as well as academic institutions worldwide. She advises clients on patent matters relating to a broad range of technologies, including antibodies, nucleic acids, gene therapy, cell therapy, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), peptides, genetically modified animals, genome engineering technologies, sequencing technologies, diagnostic methods, nanoparticle technology, vaccines, small molecules, medical devices, and related fields. Dr. Cai advises Chinese and US-based biotech companies on cross-border IP matters.

Dr. Cai has a strong background in molecular cell biology and immunology, with extensive research experience in stem cells, genome editing technologies, and drug discovery. Prior to joining the firm, Dr. Cai worked as a Senior Scientist at Pfizer, where she contributed to two drug discovery programs for Alzheimer’s disease. Previously, she was a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. While at Novartis, Dr. Cai developed an integrated approach to identify and validate drug targets by combining haploid screening, next-generation exon sequencing, and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technologies. 

Dr. Cai obtained her Ph.D. in molecular cell biology from Washington University in St. Louis under Dr. Kenneth Murphy.

Education

  • Boston University School of Law, J.D., 2022
  • Washington University in St. Louis, Ph.D., Molecular Cell Biology, 2012
  • Peking University, B.S., Biological Sciences, 2006

Bar and Court Admissions

BAR ADMISSIONS
  • Massachusetts
  • U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (Agency)

Languages

  • Chinese "Mandarian"

Experience

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
  •  Senior Scientist, Pfizer, Cambridge, MA

Publications

  • Co-author, “Discovery of small-molecule CD33 pre-mRNA splicing modulators,” ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters 13(1): 55–62 (2022)
  • Co-author, “DNA sequencing and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing for target validation in mammalian cells,” Nature Chemical Biology 10(8): 623-625 (2014)
  • First author, “Targeted genome editing tools for disease modeling and gene therapy,” Current Gene Therapy 14(1): 2-9 (2014)
  • First author, “Dual actions of Meis1 inhibit erythroid progenitor development and sustain general hematopoietic cell proliferation,” Blood 120(2): 335-46 (2012)
  • Co-author, “Snail promotes the cell-autonomous generation of Flk1+ endothelial cells through the repression of the microRNA-200 family,” Stem Cells and Development 21(2): 167-76 (2012)
  • Co-author, “Snail and the microRNA-200 family act in opposition to regulate epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and germ layer fate restriction in differentiating ESCs,” Stem Cells 29(5): 764-76 (2011)
  • Co-author, “Mesp1 coordinately regulates cardiovascular fate restriction and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in differentiating ESCs,” Cell Stem Cell 3(1): 55-68 (2008)
  • Co-first author, “Development of a microscopy-based assay for protein kinase Czeta activation in human breast cancer cells,” Analytical Biochemistry 362(1): 8-15 (2007)

Honors & Involvement

HONORS
  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch
    • Patent Law (2025-2027) and Intellectual Property Law (2026, 2027)
INVOLVEMENT
  • Mentor, Boston University Intellectual Property Law Society (IPLS)'s mentorship program
  • Member, Boston Bar Association
     

Other Events

  • Lecturer, “Gene editing in drug discovery and disease modeling,” the 13th Annual Discovery on Target Short Course: A Primer to Gene Editing: Tools and Applications, Boston (2015)
  • Speaker, “Applications of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to drug target validation,” the IBC’s Genome Editing Applications Conference: Therapeutic and Biomedical Applications of CRISPRs, ZFNs, TALENs, AAVs and other Genome Engineering Technologies, Boston (2015)