Cynthia L. DeRenzo, Ph.D.

Cynthia L. DeRenzo, Ph.D. is counsel in Sterne Kessler’s Biotechnology & Chemical Practice Group. She assists in the preparation and prosecution of U.S. and foreign patent applications and in the research and preparation of patentability, validity, and infringement opinions. Her areas of technical expertise include genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, and cellular biology. Cyndy is currently responsible for preparing and prosecuting applications directed to biopharmaceuticals, including antibodies and antibody-drug-conjugates, and production and uses thereof. She also conducts patentability and validity analyses in these fields.

Prior to joining the firm, Cyndy conducted research on early embryonic development in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. Her research was primarily focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the establishment of two main cell types of an organism: the somatic cells, which make up the body of the organism, and the germ cells, which are required for reproduction.

Cyndy earned her J.D. at Georgetown University Law Center, her Ph.D. in human genetics and molecular biology from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and her B.A. in biology from the University of Virginia.

Technical Publications

• DeRenzo, C., Seydoux, G. 2004. A clean start: degradation of maternal proteins at the oocyte to embryo transition. Trends Cell Biol. 14(8): 420-426.
• DeRenzo, C., Reese, K.J., and Seydoux, G. 2003. Exclusion of germ plasm proteins from somatic lineages by cullin-dependent degradation. Nature 424(6469): 685-689.
• Potter, G.B., Beaudoin, G.M.3rd, DeRenzo, C.L., Zarach, J.M., Chen, S.H., and Thompson, C.C. 2001.The hairless gene mutated in congenital hair loss disorders encodes a novel nuclear receptor corepressor. Genes Dev. 1 (20): 2687-2701.