Matthew A. Smith, Ph.D.

Matthew A. Smith, Ph.D., is counsel in Sterne Kessler’s Biotechnology & Chemical Practice Group. Matt assists in the preparation and prosecution of U.S. and foreign patent applications. He also assists in the preparation of validity, infringement, freedom to operate, and patentability opinions.

Matt has been selected as a Washington DC “Rising Star” for five consecutive years by Super Lawyers since 2019.

Matt’s technical expertise focuses on molecular biology and biochemistry. While earning his Ph.D., Matthew discovered the degradation mechanism of renal calpain 10. Additionally, he determined that in vitro loss of renal calpain 10 caused mitochondrial dysfunction, increased mitophagy, and increased cell death. While in vivo loss of renal calpain 10 caused increased mitophagy and renal dysfunction. Matthew also has experience in bacteriology as well as the preservation of eukaryotic cells using freeze-drying techniques. He received a National Institutes of Health Environmental Stress Signaling Pre-doctoral training grant.

In law school, Matt was a notes editor for George Mason Law Review and president of George Mason’s Intellectual Property Law Society. Additionally, Matt received the Law Service Award from George Mason School of Law, a Founder’s Scholarship from the Federal Circuit Bar Association, and the Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox Scholarship at George Mason School of Law.

Prior to joining the Sterne Kessler, Matt worked at a boutique intellectual property law firm in McLean, VA where he assisted with patent prosecution.

Matt received his J.D., Patent Law Track, cum laude, from the George Mason University School of Law, his Ph.D. in pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences from the Medical University of South Carolina, and his B.S., magna cum laude, in biochemistry and a B.A. in Chemistry from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Technical Publications

• Smith, M.A. and Schnellmann, R.G. Calpain 10. Handbook of Proteolytic Enzymes, 3rd Edition, 2013.
• Smith, M.A., McInnes, C., Whitaker, R.M., Lindsey, C.C., Comer, R.F., Beeson, C.C., and Schnellmann, R.G. Calpain 10 Homology Modeling with CYGAK and Increased Lipophilicity Leads to Greater Potency and Efficacy in Cells. ACS: Chemical Biology, 7(8): 1410-1419, 2012.
• Smith, M.A. and Schnellmann R.G. Calpains, Mitochondria, and Apoptosis. Cardiovascular Research, 96(1): 32-37, 2012.
• Smith, M.A., Covington, M.D., and Schnellmann, R.G. Loss of Calpain 10 Causes Mitochondrial Dysfunction During Chronic Hyperglycemia. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 523(2): 161-168, 2012.
• Smith, M.A. and Schnellmann, R.G. Mitochondrial Calpain 10 is Degraded by Lon Protease After Oxidant Injury. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 517(2): 144-152, 2012.