Maria A. DeCicco RePass is a patent agent in the firm’s Boston office. She is a member of the IP Procurement and Portfolio Management practice group and works with a wide range of early-stage and established biotechnology companies. Maria applies her extensive experience in molecular biochemistry, parasitology, and immunology to help clients develop strategic patent portfolios.
Maria earned her J.D. at The George Washington University Law School and her Ph.D. in Immunology at Tufts University. Her doctoral research focused on understanding Cryptosporidium-host cell interactions, specifically the role of O-glycosylation during infection. To this end, she developed a novel bioengineered 3D human intestinal model to support long-term infection with Cryptosporidium to better characterize the host parasite interactions. She also cloned and enzymatically characterized recombinant polypeptide GalNAc Transferase-4 from C. parvum to evaluate its potential as a novel therapeutic agent.
Maria has authored several peer-reviewed articles which are published in Infection and Immunity, Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, and Radiation Research
