San Diego Partner Joins Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Board

Dr. Wetherell, who holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology/Immunology, worked with CFF in a groundbreaking, $3.3 billion sale of drug rights to a New York pharmaceutical firm in 2014. The foundation reinvested its profits from the deal, the largest ever of its kind, into further research and development of treatments for cystic fibrosis. Reports about the transaction predicted at the time that it would drive other charitable organizations to make similar deals with pharmaceutical companies to speed the development of important drugs and additional research, thereby perpetuating a regenerative cycle of therapeutic innovation.

In addition to his role as the local leader of Pillsbury’s San Diego Intellectual Property practice, Dr. Wetherell is the leader of the Stem Cell Outlook and Planning Effort (SCOPE) and the author of several works dealing with patent protection for stem cell innovations. Before becoming an attorney, Dr. Wetherell was a research scientist and manager in the biotechnology industry.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the world’s leader in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis. The Foundation funds more CF research than any other organization, and nearly every CF drug available today was made possible because of foundation support. Based in Bethesda, Md., the foundation also supports and accredits a national care center network that has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a model of care for a chronic disease. The CF Foundation is a donor-supported nonprofit organization. For more information, please go to www.cff.org.