Subscribe

  • How Can We Help You?

    Global Problem Solving from Covington: Deal with Complex Problems Anywhere in the World

Hearn_Julienne_1000x714_ENV

Julienne Hearn

Of Counsel

Boston +1 617 603 8888

  • About
  • Representative Matters
  • Credentials
  • About

    Julienne Hearn advises clients in the life sciences industry on their key strategic transactions. Her practice includes structuring, negotiating and documenting a broad array of agreements, including complex collaborations, licenses, R&D collaborations, co-promotion and co-commercialization agreements, supply and distribution arrangements and other commercial agreements.

    Julienne has represented multinational pharmaceutical companies, early stage biotechnology companies and academic institutions in transactions across a wide range of modalities, therapeutic areas and stages of the product lifecycle, in both domestic and cross-border contexts. She has also represented financial institutions, academic institutions and companies in financing-driven transactions, such as royalty monetizations and development funding arrangements.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Practices and Industries
  • Representative Matters

    Collaborations and License Agreements

    • Represented Janssen Pharmaceuticals or its affiliates in:
      • a license and option agreement with LegoChem Biosciences, Inc. for a clinical stage Trop2-directed ADC;
      • an option agreement with AbelZeta Pharma, Inc. for rights to commercialize the parties’ collaboration CAR-T products directed to B-cell malignancies in greater China;
      • a license agreement with Nanobiotix for a clinical stage radioenhancer for use in multiple oncology indications;
      • a license and development agreement with Pipeline Therapeutics for an investigational small molecule to treat nervous system disorders; and
      • multiple research collaborations to discover and research novel ADCs for specified targets.
    • Represented Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a collaboration with CRISPR Therapeutics to develop gene editing therapies for DMD and DMI, under which Vertex paid $105 million upfront and received $30 million of CRISPR common stock, and in a joint development and commercialization agreement with CRISPR relating to gene editing therapies for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia.
    • Represented Alexion Pharmaceuticals in its collaboration with Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop RNAi therapies for complement-mediated diseases using Dicerna’s GAlXC platform.
    • Represented a large biotech company in a broad-based research collaboration and commercialization agreement with a university in the gene therapy and gene editing fields.
    • Represented a leading genomics research institute in connection with a license to a leader in the field of neoantigen-targeted therapies for technology relating to personalized neoantigen vaccines.

    Financing Transactions

    • Represented an academic medical center in a broad-based, multi-program research funding and option agreement involving research funding of up to $65 million and sharing of downstream economics.
    • Represented Sixth Street Partners in connection with providing $175 million in clinical trial financing to Clovis Oncology, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on acquiring, developing and commercializing innovative anti-cancer agents.
    • Represented LA BioMed (now Lundquist Institute) and UCLA in their sale of a portion of their royalty interests in Kybella®.

    Mergers and Acquisitions

    • Represented a large global pharmaceutical company in structuring and negotiating IP terms of spinout, divestiture and asset sale transactions.
    • Represented Gilead Sciences, Inc. in IP transactional and contingent payment aspects of its $1.74 billion exclusive option to acquire Pionyr Immunotherapeutics Inc., consisting of the acquisition by Gilead of a 49.9% equity interest in Pionyr for $275 million, an option for Gilead to acquire the remaining equity interests of Pionyr for $315 million, and up to $1.15 billion of potential future milestone payments to Pionyr equityholders.
    • Represented Gilead Sciences, Inc. in IP transactional and contingent payment aspects of its $1.55 billion exclusive option to acquire Tizona Therapeutics, Inc., consisting of the acquisition by Gilead of a 49.9% equity interest in Tizona for $300 million, and an option for Gilead to acquire the remaining equity interests of Tizona for up to $1.25 billion of potential option fees and future milestone payments to Tizona equityholders.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Credentials
    Education
    • Harvard Law School, J.D., 2013
        • cum laude
    • Eastman School of Music, B.M., 2007
        • With Highest Distinction
    Bar Admissions
    • Massachusetts
    • New York
    Languages
    • Japanese
    Pro Bono
    • Represents non-profit organizations and individuals on a pro bono basis in immigration, family law, corporate, commercial and intellectual property matters.

    Areas of Expertise

News and Insights

Events