David H. Holman, Ph.D.

David H. Holman, Ph.D., is a director in Sterne Kessler’s Biotechnology & Chemical and Trial & Appellate Practice Groups, with a practice focused on proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). With a technical background and training in immunology, microbiology, and molecular biology, David regularly represents leading companies in biotech, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries.

David’s PTAB practice includes inter partes reviews, post-grant reviews, and interferences, where he counsels clients on initial pre-trial PTAB strategy, briefing and discovery during the PTAB proceeding, appeal and/or settlement. David also regularly counsels clients on global patent preparation and prosecution strategies.

Leveraging his deep technical expertise and prior biotech industry experience, David has represented clients large and small across a variety of technology areas, including DNA sequencing, therapeutic antibodies, pharmaceutical compositions, antisense molecules, protein engineering, vaccines, gene editing, gene therapy, viral vectors, and cannabinoid compositions.

He has authored or co-authored 19 peer-reviewed scientific publications and three book chapters. David is also a contributing author of Patent Office Litigation, Second Edition, published in 2017 by Thomson Reuters Westlaw, the book provides a fresh and comprehensive exploration of patent office litigation proceedings, including how the proceedings interact with other aspects of patent procurement and enforcement, while delivering practical analysis and advice. He is also a contributing author of U.S. Chemical Patent Law: A Practical Guide, published in 2019 and designed to be a practical guide for the preparation and prosecution of U.S. chemical patent applications. David is also a contributing author on Sterne Kessler’s 2021 PTAB Year in Review: Analysis & Trends, which explores the interface between district court and PTAB litigation, and PTAB evolutionary trends from 2021.

Prior to becoming a practicing attorney, David worked as a scientist for two different start-up companies with research efforts in developing novel vaccines for infectious diseases and peptide therapeutics for certain illnesses. During law school, David also served as a technology transfer officer at a medical university, where he assisted university innovators in protecting and commercializing intellectual property.

Outside of the firm, David enjoys spending time with his family, fishing, golfing, and cheering for the Clemson Tigers.

David received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the Charleston School of Law. He received his Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the Medical University of South Carolina and his B.S. in microbiology, cum laude, from Clemson University.

Technical Publications

• David H. Holman, Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Statutory Interpretation of the Dickey-Wicker Amendment and the Future of Biomedical Research. 2011 Fed. Cts. L. Rev. 4.
• Sudarshan S, Holman DH, Hyer ML, Norris JS. 2004. In vitroefficacy of Fas Ligand gene therapy for the treatment of bladder cancer. Cancer Gene Therapy, 12(1):12-18.
• Norris JS, Norris KL, Holman DH, El-Zawahry A, Keane TE, Dong J-Y, Tavassoli, M. (2005) The present and future for gene and viral therapy of directly accessible prostate and squamous cell cancers of the head and neck. Future Oncology, 1(1):116-123.
• Wang D, Schmaljohn AL, Raja NU, Truby CM, Juompan LY, Luo M, Deitz SB, Yu H, Woraratanadharm J, Holman DH, Moore KM, Swain BM, Hart MK, Pratt WD, Dong JY. (2006)De Novo Syntheses Of Marburg Virus Antigens From Adenovirus Vectors Induce Potent Humoral And Cellular Immune Responses. Vaccine, 24(15):2975-2986.
• Elojeimy S., McKillop JC, El-ZawahryAM, Holman DH, Liu X, Schwartz DA, Day TA, Dong JY, Norris JS. (2006) FasL Gene Therapy: A New Therapeutic Modality for Head and Neck Cancer. Cancer Gene Therapy, Aug;13(8):739-45.
• Norris JS, Bielawska A, Day T, El-Zawahry A, Elojeimy S, Hannun Y, Holman D, Hyer M, Landon C, Lowe S, McKillop J, Norris K, L. Obeid, Rubinchik S, Tavassoli M, Tomlinson S, Dong J, Voelkel-Johnson C, Liu X. (2006) Combined Therapeutic Use of AdGFPFasL and Small Molecule Inhibitors of Ceramide Metabolism in Prostate and Head and Neck Cancers: A Status Report. Cancer Gene Therapy, Dec;13(12):1045-51.
• Elojeimy S, Holman DH, Liu X, El-Zawahry A, Villani M, Cheng JC, Mahdy A, Zaidan Y, Bielawska A, Hannun YA, Norris JS. (2006) New insights on the use of desipramine as an inhibitor for acid ceramidase. FEBS Letters, Aug 21;580(19):4751-6.
• Liu X, Elojeimy S, El-Zawahry AM, Holman DH, Bielawska A, Bielawski J, Rubinchik S, Guo GW, Dong JY, Keane T, Hannun YA, Tavassoli M, Norris JS. (2006) Modulation of Ceramide Metabolism Enhances Viral Protein Apoptin’s Cytotoxicity in Prostate Cancer. Molecular Therapy, Nov;14(5):637-46.
• Liu X, Zeidan YH, Elojeimy S, Holman DH, El-Zawahry AM, Guo GW, Bielawska A, Bielawski J, Szulc Z, Rubinchik S, Dong JY, Keane TE, Tavassoli M, Hannun YA, Norris JS. (2006) Involvement of sphingolipids in apoptin-induced cell killing. Molecular Therapy, Nov;14(5):627-36.
• Raja, NU, DH Holman, D Wang, K Raviprakash, LY Juompan, SB Deitz, M Luo, J Zhang, K Porter, JY Dong. (2007) Expression of dengue virus type 1 and type 2 antigens from a single adenoviral vector induces bivalent humoral immune responses. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, April 1;76(4): 743-51.
• Holman DH, Wang D, Raviprakash K, Raja NU, Luo M, Zhang J, Porter KR, Dong JY. (2007) Two Complex, Adenovirus-Based Vaccines That Together Induce Immune Responses to All Four Dengue Virus Serotypes. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, 14(2):182-9.
• Holman DH, Turner LS, El-Zawahry AM, Elojeimy S, Liu X, Bielawski J, Szulc Z, Norris K, Zeidan YH, Hannun YA, Bielawska A, Norris JS. (2008) Lysosomotropic acid ceramidase inhibitor induces apoptosis in prostate cancer cells. Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology, Feb;61(2):231-42.
• Elojeimy S, Liu X, McKillop JC, El-Zawahry AM, Holman DH, Cheng JY, Meacham WD, Mahdy AE, Saad AF, Turner LS, Cheng J, A Day T, Dong JY, Bielawska A, Hannun YA, Norris JS. (2007) Role of Acid Ceramidase in Resistance to FasL: Therapeutic Approaches Based on Acid Ceramidase Inhibitors and FasL Gene Therapy. Molecular Therapy, Jul;15(7):1259-63.
• Schepp-Berglind J, Luo M, Wang D, Wicker JA, Raja NU, Hoel BD, Holman DH, Barrett ADT, Dong JY. (2007) Complex Adenovirus-mediated expression of C, PreM, E, and NS1 proteins of West Nile Virus induces both humoral and cellular immune responses. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, Sep;14(9):1117-26.
• Liu X, Elojeimy S, Turner LS, Mahdy AE, Zeidan YH, Bielawska A, Bielawski J, Dong JY, El-Zawahry AM, Guo GW, Hannun YA, Holman DH, Rubinchik S, Szulc Z, Keane TE, Tavassoli M, Norris JS. (2008) Acid ceramidase inhibition: a novel target for cancer therapy. Frontiers in Bioscience, Jan 1;13:2293-8.
• Swenson DL, Wang D, Luo M, Warfield KL, Woraratanadharm J, Holman DH, Dong JY, Pratt WD. (2008) Vaccine to confer to nonhuman primates complete protection against multistrain Ebola and Marburg virus infections. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, Mar;15(3):460-7.
• Holman DH, Wang D, Raja NU, Luo M, Moore KM, Woraratanadharm J, Mytle N, Dong JY. (2008) Multi-antigen vaccines based on complex adenovirus vectors induce protective immune responses against H5N1 avian influenza viruses. Vaccine, May 19;26(21):2627-39.
• Raviprakash K, Ewing D, Block K, Holman DH, Woraratanadharm J, Wang, D Dong JY, Chen L, Porter K. (2008) A Tetravalent Dengue Vaccine Based on a Complex Adenovirus Vector Protects Monkeys Against All Four Serotypes of Dengue Viruses. Journal of Virology, Jul;82(14):6927-34.
• Holman DH, Penn-Nicholson A, Wang D, Woraratanadharm J, Harr MK, Luo M, Maher EM, Holbrook MR, Dong JY. (2009) A Complex Adenovirus Vectored Vaccine Against Rift Valley Fever Virus Protects Mice Against Lethal Infection in the Presence of Pre-existing Vector Immunity. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, Nov;16(11):1624-32.
• Pratt WD, Wang D, Nichols DK, Luo M, Woraratanadharm J, Dye JM, Holman DH, Dong JY. (2010) Protection of nonhuman primates against two species of Ebola virus infection with a single complex adenovirus vector. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, Apr;17(4):572-81.
• Holman DH, Hyer ML, El-Zawahry A, Keller GM, Norris JS. (2003) Pro-Apoptotic Strategy in Cancer Gene Therapy. In: Cancer Gene Therapy (Curiel DT and Douglas J, eds), Totowa, NJ:Humana Press Inc.
• Norris JS, Holman DH, Hyer ML, Bielawska A, El-Zawahry A, Chalfant C, Landen C, Tomlinson S, Dong JY,,Obeid LM, Hannun YA. (2003) Ceramide, Ceramidase and FasL Gene Therapy in Prostate Cancer. In: Death Receptors in Cancer Therapy (El-Deiry WS, ed) Totowa, NJ:Humana Press Inc.
• Holman DH, Wang D, Woraratanadharm J, Dong JY. (2009) Viral Vectors. In: Vaccines for Neglected and Emerging Infectious Diseases (Barrett AD and Stanberry LR, eds). Elsevier Publishing, Jan 2009; 77-91.