We have built Popper to follow the science, know the law and implement the strategy.
The legal tech landscape is rapidly advancing, with new AI capabilities emerging all the time. At Evolve, we have developed our own proprietary AI tools and agents, adapted to the unique requirements of pharmaceutical IP. By integrating AI throughout our business, we offer senior-level, flexible and cost-effective support for biotech and pharma companies. Our global patent prosecution AI, Popper, is one of the AI tools that we have designed specifically for the complex nuances of pharma IP.
How Popper follows the science
Life science patent work must be focused on the data. We believe this is one of the reasons why off-the-shelf tools are often not fit for purpose when it comes to pharma and biotech patent prosecution. As life sciences patent attorneys with strong scientific backgrounds and industry experience, we made sure that Popper focuses on the data and the science underpinning an invention. Popper can read figures, understand data and process complex experimental reports. Popper is taught that understanding data is paramount to generating effective analyses and recommendations.
Popper knows the law
A successful IP strategy requires a global outlook, taking account of the different patent laws and commercial realities in different markets. We have therefore given Popper a knowledge bank of expertise built and curated by our own expert attorneys and case law experts. Popper uses this resource to understand the complex interactions between science and patent law which are central to pharmaceutical patent prosecution. This means, for example, understanding the evidence thresholds for supporting clinical-use inventions, the intricacies of sequence data for complex biologics, and the importance of comparative data.
Popper’s knowledge bank also explicitly encodes the nuances of different jurisdictions, local case law, and the strategies required to argue successfully before different patent offices.
Popper implements strategy
Pharma patent prosecution often involves complex patent families spanning multiple jurisdictions. It was important for us that Popper takes into account the global IP strategy and prosecution history to maintain consistency in argument where possible.
How we use Popper at Evolve
Patent prosecution cannot exist in a vacuum away from the commercial strategy of a pharma or biotech company. At Evolve, our focus is on understanding the business strategy so that the IP strategy can be aligned. This means deciding whether to speed up or slow down prosecution, whether to narrow or broaden claims, and how to align prosecution and filing strategy across multiple technologies and platforms. These decisions require an understanding of the competitive landscape, the business priorities and deep expertise in navigating the challenges of IP strategy in the pharma industry.
We use Popper as a tool to help us efficiently implement the strategy that we develop with our clients.
As patent attorneys, we also understand the utmost importance of confidentiality and protecting client data. This means no storing of users’ data, no training on inputs and enterprise-grade security. Popper is built directly using foundational LLMs from Google and Anthropic and not with any third-party software providers or SaaS companies. This gives us the flexibility to adapt Popper to changes in the patent law, the science and the capabilities of the underlying LLMs.
A Complete AI Ecosystem for Pharma IP
Whilst Popper handles global prosecution, our clients benefit from Evolve’s wider suite of bespoke AI agents. These include:
- Darwin: Pharma IP-focused patent drafting,
- Cassandra: Contract review for pharma and biotech licences,
- Einstein: Validity analysis, including priority claims, added matter assessment, novelty, inventive step and sufficiency,
- Ammonite Charts: Our proprietary patent portfolio visualisations for competitive landscaping and communicating IP strategy,
- Franklin: Publication and invention disclosure review.
The patent profession is entering a new era of technological capability. At Evolve, we offer a strategic fractional partnership that combines bespoke AI for pharmaceutical IP with our own deep industry expertise.
Why “Popper”?
We named Popper after Sir Karl Raimund Popper (1902–1994), an Austrian-British philosopher widely regarded as one of the most influential philosophers of science of the 20th century. Popper is best known for his rejection of the classical inductivist approach to the scientific method. Popper proposed that for a theory to be considered scientific, it must be falsifiable. Who better for a patent prosecution agent focused on science-backed rebuttals?
The Experts
Rose Hughes, MA (Cantab), PhD, EPA
Rose is a biotech and pharmaceutical patent specialist with over a decade of experience in intellectual property. At Evolve, Rose leverages our unique fractional in-house model to provide clients with deep patent law expertise combined with the strategic commercial oversight of senior in-house counsel. Rose’s clients include late-stage cell therapy and clinical stage biotech companies.
With a PhD in Immunology from UCL, Rose applies her technical background to complex innovations in biologics, cell and gene therapies, and the rapidly emerging field of AI-assisted drug development. Previously, Rose held the role of Director, Patents at AstraZeneca, where she was responsible for global IP portfolios and IP strategy at every stage of the pharmaceutical pipeline, from platform development and on-market commercialisation to SPCs and patent term extensions.
A recognised thought leader in the field, Rose has been a regular contributor to IPKat since 2018, offering practical insights into European patent law developments. She is Editor of the CIPA Guide to the Patents Act (10th Edition), a frequent speaker on the epi podcast, a guest lecturer for the Brunel University IP law Postgrad Certificate, and a contributing author to published books A User’s Guide to Intellectual Property in Life Sciences (2021) and Developments and Directions in Intellectual Property Law (2023).
Steven Gurney, EPA, CPA, MIPLaw
Steven is focused on maximising the potential of his pharmaceutical and life science clients. As the founder of Evolve Intellectual Property in 2021, he brings a passion for developing robust IP strategies and providing expert counsel.
A highly skilled life science patent attorney with over 20 years of combined in-house and private practice experience, Steven is qualified as a European, UK, and Australian patent attorney. His recognition in legal directories includes LEGAL 500 (2024, 2025, 2026), IP STARS (2024, 2025, 2026), and IAM Patent 1000 (2024, 2025, 2026).
Steven’s expertise spans pharmaceuticals, drug development and IP, drafting, portfolio management and prosecution, lifecycle management, licensing (in- and out-), due diligence and FTO, contentious work (including litigation and opposition), and regulatory exclusivities like PTE/SPC.
