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Lewis J. Geffen

Member / Co-chair, Life Sciences Practice

[email protected]

+1.617.348.1834

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Lewis is a corporate and licensing attorney focused on the life sciences, with decades of experience helping companies in the sector tackle strategic issues and complete complicated transactions. He is the go-to outside lawyer for preeminent biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, and medtech companies, shepherding them through financing and licensing deals that fund drug development.

Lewis serves as Co-chair of Mintz's Venture Capital & Emerging Companies and Life Sciences practice groups and has over 25 years of experience representing biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device and medtech companies in all aspects of their business and legal affairs. Lewis serves as principal outside or general counsel to leading life science companies, advising management and directors as these companies raise capital, in-license and acquire technology and assets, and then collaborate or partner with others. In addition to day-to-day corporate counseling and strategic advice to his clients, Lewis regularly advises on a variety of major domestic and international business transactions, including venture capital and other private financings, technology licensing, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, and public offerings.

Lewis is a corporate and licensing attorney focused on the life sciences, with decades of experience helping companies in the sector tackle strategic issues and complete complicated transactions. He is the go-to outside lawyer for preeminent biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, and medtech companies, shepherding them through financing and licensing deals that fund drug development.

Experience

Collaborations, Alliances and License Agreements

  • Spero Therapeutics in its license agreement with GSK to develop and commercialize tebipenem HBr, Spero’s late stage antibiotic to treat cUTI
  • Spero Therapeutics in its collaboration with Pfizer Inc to develop and commercialize SPR206, an IV-administered gram negative antibiotic product candidate outside of the US, Greater China, South Korea, and certain Southeast Asian countries
  • Spero Therapeutics in its collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute to develop Spero’s orally administered SPR720 for the treatment of tuberculosis 
  • Synlogic in its $80M equity investment at a premium from Ginkgo Bioworks and entry into a long-term strategic platform collaboration 
  • Aura Biosciences in its license agreement with Clearside Biomedical for suprachoroidal delivery of AU-011
  • DNAtrix in its collaboration with Valo Therapeutics to develop “armed” oncolytic vaccines for cancer therapy using DNAtrix’s clinical stage oncolytic viruses 
  • Spero Therapeutics in its collaboration with Everest Medicines to develop and commercialize SPR206 , an IV-administered gram negative antibiotic product candidate in Greater China, South Korea, and certain Southeast Asian countries
  • Synlogic in its global R&D collaboration with AbbVie to develop novel synthetic medicines to treat inflammatory bowel disease
  • Spero Therapeutics in its license with Meiji Pharmaceuticals, its acquisition of worldwide rights to VXc-486/VXc-100 antibacterial compounds from Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and its acquisition of next generation antibacterial candidates from Pro Bono Bio Ltd
  • Macrolide Pharmaceuticals in its agreement with Cempra to develop a synthetic manufacturing  process for solithromycin
  • Biogen Idec in its collaboration with Ataxion to develop drugs to treat hereditary ataxias
  • Amorsa Therapeutics in its research, option and license agreement with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, to develop novel ketamine-derived drugs for treatment-resistant depression
  • Paratek Pharmaceuticals in its $485M global collaboration with Novartis
  • Numerous foundational in-licenses from leading universities, hospitals and institutions, including Harvard, MIT, Boston University, Case Western, Michigan, Einstein College, MGH, Tufts, University of Florida, others

Venture Capital Financings

  • Triana Biomedicines in its launch with $110M from RA Capital, Atlas Ventures, Lightspeed Ventures, Pfizer Ventures and others
  • CAM Capital in its investments in Primmune and Arcellx
  • A Fortune 500 healthcare company in numerous venture investments
  • Santi Therapeutics, Avilar Therapeutics, Athenen Therapeutics, Arcuate Therapeutics and Nayan Therapeutics, recently launched companies incubated by RA Capital, in each of their inaugural financings from RA Capital affiliates  
  • Aura Biosciences in its $30M and $40M financings to advance the clinical development of its Ocular Melanoma treatment
  • Sofinnova Ventures, Ysios Capital, INKEF Capital and Sectoral Asset Management in $30M and $50M investments in Ranier Therapeutics (formerly BioClin Therapeutics)
  • Spero Therapeutics in its $51.7M financing to advance its pipeline of antibacterials focused on drug-resistant bacterial infections
  • Synlogic in its $42M, $40M, $30M and $42M financings to develop “living therapeutics”
  • Macrolide Pharmaceuticals in its $22M Series A financing to develop novel antibiotics
  • Opsonix in its $8M Series A financing to develop a broad spectrum pathogen-extracting therapy
  • Venture investors in the $21M Series B financing of Aura Biosciences, to treat ocular melanoma
  • RA Capital in numerous venture financings, including Ventus Therapeutics, Quench Bio, Arvinas, Cidara Therapeutics, G1 Therapeutics and White Swell Medical
  • MVM Life Science Partners in numerous venture financings, including AccuVein, BioTheranostics, Zipline Medical, Cheetah Medical and Solx
  • Merck Research and Licensing (MRL) Ventures in several financings, including RaNA Therapeutics and miRagen Therapeutics

M&A and Public Offerings

  • Amorsa Therapeutics in its acquisition by an undisclosed publicly traded CNS biopharma company on undisclosed terms
  • Spero Therapeutics in its $88M Initial Public Offering, $75M follow-on public offering and $10M Registered Direct Offering 
  • Synlogic in its IPO by way of a reverse merger with Mirna Therapeutics, Inc.
  • Synlogic in its $50M follow-on public offering
  • AFT Pharmaceuticals in its $33M Initial Public Offering
  • Beacon Endoscopic in its sale to Covidien
     
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viewpoints

Despite choppy market conditions for private companies, the Mintz Venture Capital & Emerging Companies team remained busy advising emerging companies of all sizes and at all stages of growth across a wide range of industries. For the first half of 2023 we completed 72 transactions, with an aggregate deal value in excess of $1.6 billion. Below are a few highlighted transactions:

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This edition of Mintz Venture Watch reports on the firm’s VC transaction activity in 2022, including data for Q3 and Q4. Mintz represented issuers and investors in the life sciences, cybersecurity, energy, and other sectors in more than 128 transactions valued at more than $3 billion in 2022.  

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Venture capital investing continues to thrive across all sectors. During the first half of 2021, the Mintz team advised more than 65 emerging companies and investors in transactions in all facets of the life sciences, technology, and energy and sustainability industries.
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This 90-minute webinar explored the processes, considerations, and other factors behind the incubation and launch of new companies by some of today’s leading venture capital firms. Panelists discussed common sources of ideas for new companies, de-risking of translational science, ideal initial management, and financing a new entity.
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Section 141(d) of the Delaware General Corporations Law (DGCL) allows the certificate of incorporation (COI) of a Delaware corporation to confer upon one or more directors voting powers greater than or less than those of other directors, thus resulting in “disproportionate voting” rights amongst the Directors.
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News & Press

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187 Mintz attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers® in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. Notably, three Mintz attorneys received 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” awards, and 64 firm attorneys were included in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

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Mintz is pleased to announce that 120 firm attorneys have been recognized as leaders by Best Lawyers® in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©.

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BOSTON – Mintz has earned top rankings in the 2023 edition of Legal 500 United States guide. The firm is recognized in 14 practice categories, and 59 individual attorneys are also recognized in the guide, some in more than one category.

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BOSTON – Mintz has earned top rankings in the 2023 edition of Legal 500 United States guide. The firm is recognized in 14 practice categories, and 59 individual attorneys are also recognized in the guide, some in more than one category.

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Best Lawyers® recognized 108 firm attorneys in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. Notably, two Mintz attorneys – Poonam Patidar and Scott M. Stanton – received 2023 “Lawyer of the Year” awards, and 28 firm attorneys were included in the inaugural edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

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In the latest guide, Mintz garnered rankings as a top national firm in eight practice areas, and 32 firm attorneys were individually recognized.
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Events & Speaking

Moderator
Oct
10
2018

LSX World Congress USA

Convene - One Boston Place l Boston, MA

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Lewis is a corporate and licensing attorney focused on the life sciences, with decades of experience helping companies in the sector tackle strategic issues and complete complicated transactions. He is the go-to outside lawyer for preeminent biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, and medtech companies, shepherding them through financing and licensing deals that fund drug development.

Recognition & Awards

  • Best Lawyers in America: Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice (2021 - 2023); Corporate Law (2021 – 2025)

  • Recognized by The Legal 500 United States as “a well-known life sciences expert” for Venture Capital and Emerging Companies (2014)

  • Recommended by The Legal 500 United States for Venture Capital and Emerging Companies (2013 – 2018; 2021 – 2022, 2024); Healthcare: Life Sciences (2020 – 2022, 2024)

  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent

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Lewis J. Geffen

Member / Co-chair, Life Sciences Practice

Boston