Biography
Dr. Richard B. Emmons is a technology specialist in the Intellectual Property Practice Group of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. He has a strong technical background in the life sciences, including in depth training in the fields of developmental biology, classical and molecular genetics, molecular biology, cell biology, physiology, biochemistry, and bioinformatics.
Prior to joining the firm, Dr. Emmons was a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Genetics at the Harvard Medical School. His post-doctoral research focused on understanding epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation. Specifically, how Polycomb group genes interact with chromatin and function to maintain target gene silencing throughout the mitotic divisions of development. Additionally, Dr. Emmons developed a system for using the fruit fly as an in vivo leukemia model for small molecule screening. His research has been funded by the Pew Charitable Trust, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the National Institutes of Health. He has authored publications in several peer-reviewed journals including Development, Developmental Biology, MCB, and Genetics.
Dr. Emmons received a Ph.D. in Developmental Biology from Washington University. His dissertation research examined the role of the spineless gene (the Drosophila ortholog of the human dioxin receptor) in patterning the legs and antennae of the fly. He identified the genetic network that controls spineless transcription, and this analysis led to the discovery that spineless is the primary determinant of distal antennal identity in the fly.
Education
Post Doctoral Program Harvard Medical SchoolPh.D., Washington University
B.A., College of the Atlantic