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Xinyu (Annie) Li advises life sciences and technology companies, investors, and other clients on a wide range of complex corporate and transactional matters. Her transactional practice focuses on strategic licensing, collaboration, alliance, supply, manufacturing, and other commercial agreements that support the research, development, and commercialization of innovative products. Annie regularly advises and plays key role in structuring and negotiating high-value, often cross-border agreements with global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and other international counterparties. She also advises on mergers and acquisitions and other strategic transactions in the life sciences sector, as well as the negotiation, structuring, and drafting of commercial agreements in the ordinary course of business.

Annie’s practice also includes representing emerging companies and investors in venture capital and growth equity financings across all stages of the company lifecycle. She has experience advising on cross-border financings and investments. She advises on corporate formation, equity financings, and general governance matters, working closely with founders, management teams, and investors to help execute growth strategies from formation through exit.

Experience

  • ADEL, Inc. in its $1 billion exclusive worldwide license agreement with Sanofi for the development and commercialization of a potential first-in-class antibody therapy for Alzheimer's disease.
  • Novartis in (i) an option agreement with Shanghai Argo Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (a Chinese biotechnology company) for the option to license ex-China rights to two discovery-stage next-generation molecules, and (ii) an ex-China license agreement with reciprocal profit and loss sharing options in the U.S. and China for an IND-enabling stage siRNA candidate, for an upfront payment of US$160 million plus potential milestone and option payments of a combined potential value of up to US$5.2 billion, as well as tiered royalties on commercial sales.
  • AprilBio Co., Ltd. (Kosdaq: 397030) in its exclusive, worldwide license agreement with Evommune, Inc. to develop and commercialize a Phase 2-ready IL-18 targeted fusion protein for the regulation of inflammation. AprilBio is eligible for up to $475 million plus royalties in total consideration.
  • AcuraStem, a California biotech, in connection with its exclusive, worldwide license agreement with Takeda for its PIKFYVE program. If the agreed upon clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestones are met, AcuraStem will receive a total of US$580 million from Takeda in upfront and milestone payments. AcuraStem will also receive tiered royalties on any net sales.*
  • Leading horizontal platform for cell programming, in its acquisition of adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsid discovery and engineering platform assets.*
  • Biotechnology company in an agreement with a synthetic biology company developing new sustainable bio-based ingredients, in a multi-stage partnership focused on compounds in the tryptophan pathway.*
  • Biotechnology company developing new ways to treat neurological disorders in its Series A financing.*

*Reflects experience at previous employer.

Credentials

Education

  • J.D., Boston University School of Law, 2020
  • B.A., Brandeis University, 2017, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa

Admissions

  • Massachusetts

Activities

  • Member, Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts

Languages

  • Chinese (Mandarin)
Overview