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Danielle M. Simmons, Ph.D.

Danielle M. Simmons, Ph.D. is a law clerk expecting to receive her Juris Doctor degree in May 2012 from Ave Maria School of Law where she is currently enrolled. Dr. Simmons is focusing her studies on intellectual property law. She is a certified member of Ave Maria's VITA Clinic, participating in pro bono work to assist the public with tax preparation and is also a member of the Women's Law Association.

Dr. Simmons graduated from St. Bonaventure University with a B.S. in biology and a minor in chemistry and obtained her Ph.D. in structural biology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her research was conducted at The Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute where the primary goal was to use high-resolution crystal structures of membrane-proteins for rational drug design. Dr. Simmons' research focused on an enzyme involved in the inflammatory pathway known as Cyclooxygenase-2, an enzyme targeted by many drugs on the market today. Dr. Simmons was able to solve high-resolution crystal structures of the native and mutant enzymes, with and without substrate and with certain inhibitors. The resulting data was used to gain insight into the stereo-selectivity of the oxygenation pathway and as to how inhibition of the enzyme by certain drugs, such as aspirin, actually occurs.

Throughout her graduate career she became familiar with multiple scientific techniques in chemistry, biology and physics. Dr. Simmons' expertise ranges from cloning, protein expression and purification, protein kinetics, to protein crystal growth, optimization, x-ray diffraction and computational molecular modeling. She was able to conduct cryo-preservation protein crystal optimization and data collection experiments utilizing a high energy synchrotron source at both Cornell University and Brookhaven National Laboratory. Dr. Simmons was a member of the American Crystallographic Association and Pittsburgh Diffraction Society. She also was awarded the Chung Soo Yoo award for best student research presentation in 2008 and was ranked in the top 10% of the entering class in the school of biomedical sciences.

Dr. Simmons assists our patent attorneys and agents in preparing patentability opinion letters and patent applications, infringement opinions, and validity studies.

Contact Danielle M. Simmons, Ph.D. via email at dsimmons@idealawyers.com

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