Steve Helmer, J.D.
Vice President, Chief Patent Counsel
Steve Helmer, J.D., joined DURECT in 2010. He has over 25 years of experience as a patent attorney. Prior to joining DURECT, he worked as a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as a patent attorney at various law firms, and as in-house patent counsel for Nektar Therapeutics and Life Technologies. Steve received a juris doctorate from the University of Minnesota Law School (cum laude), a Master of Science in biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Michigan Technological University (magna cum laude).