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. A native Mandarin speaker, Dr. Cai regularly 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 J.D. from Boston University School of Law, her Ph.D. in molecular cell biology from Washington University in St. Louis, and her B.S. in Biological Sciences from Peking University.

Dr. Cai has been named to “Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch” for Patent Law (2025-2027) and Intellectual Property Law (2026-2027).