Celine M. Bonnefous

Celine M. Bonnefous

Patent Counselor

Patents and Innovations

Celine Bonnefous is a patent counselor in the San Diego office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. She assists with the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in the fields of chemistry, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.

Prior to joining the firm, Celine was a medicinal chemist at Merck Research Laboratories, Kalypsys, Inc., and Aragon Pharmaceuticals for 14 years. In this role, she performed research in the discovery and development of novel compounds for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, cancer, pain, anxiety, and metabolic disorders.

Celine received her master's degree in organic chemistry from the University of Houston, where she designed and prepared novel Ru(II) and Cu(I) complexes of 1,10-phenanthroline and di-(2'-pyridyl) ketone based ligands. She is the co-author of more than 20 publications and is listed as a co-inventor on numerous issued and pending U.S. and international patents.

Experience

Education

M.S., Organic Chemistry, University of Houston, 1998
B.S., Chemistry, ESCOM (Ecole Supérieure de Chimie Organique et Minérale), 1996

Credentials

Education

M.S., Organic Chemistry, University of Houston, 1998
B.S., Chemistry, ESCOM (Ecole Supérieure de Chimie Organique et Minérale), 1996

Select Publications

Co-author with S. G. Durón, A. Lindstrom, H. Zhang, X. Chen, K. T. Symons, M. Sablad, N. Rozenkrants, Y. Zhang, L. Wang, N. Yazdani, A. K. Shiau, S. A. Noble, P. Rix, T. S. Rao, C. A. Hassig, and N. D. Smith, "Heteroaromatic-aminomethyl Quinolones: Potent and Selective iNOS Inhibitors," 22(2) Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 1237-1241, 2012
Co-author with J. E. Payne, J. Roppe, H. Zhuang, X. Chen, K. T. Symons, P. M. Nguyen, M. Sablad, N. Rozenkrants, Y. Zhang, L. Wang, D. Severance, J. P. Walsh, N. Yazdani, A. K. Shiau, S. A. Noble, P. Rix, T. S. Rao, C. A. Hassig, and N. D. Smith, "Discovery of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS) Inhibitor Development Candidate KD7332, Part 1: Identification of a Novel, Potent, and Selective Series of Quinolinone iNOS Dimerization Inhibitors That are Orally Active in Rodent Pain Models," 52(9) Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 3047-3062, 2009
Co-author with J. E. Payne, K. T. Symons, P. M. Nguyen, M. Sablad, N. Rozenkrants, Y. Zhang, L. Wang, N. Yazdani, A. K. Shiau, S. A. Noble, P. Rix, T. S. Rao, C. A. Hassig, and N. D. Smith, "Discovery of Dual Inducible/Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS/nNOS) Inhibitor Development Candidate 4-((2-Cyclobutyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyrazin-1-yl)methyl)-7,8-difluoroquinolin-2(1H)-one (KD7332) Part 2: Identification of a Novel, Potent, and Selective Series of Benzimidazole-Quinolinone iNOS/nNOS Dimerization Inhibitors That Are Orally Active in Pain Models," 53(21) Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 7739-7755, 2010
Co-author with J. E. Payne, C. A. Hassig, K. T. Symons, X. Guo, P.-M. Nguyen, T. Annable, P. L. Wash, T. Z. Hoffman, T. S. Rao, A. K. Shiau, J. W. Malecha, S. A. Noble, J. H. Hager, and N. D. Smith, "Identification of KD5170: A Novel Mercaptoketone-Based Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor," 18(23) Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 6093-6096, 2008
Co-author with J.-M. Vernier, J. H. Hutchinson, M. F. Gardner, M. Cramer, J. K. James, B. A. Rowe, L. P. Daggett, H. Schaffhauser, and T. M. Kamenecka, "Biphenyl-Indanones: Allosteric Potentiators of the Metabotropic Glutamate Subtype 2 Receptor," 15(19) Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 4354-4358, 2005
Co-author with J.-M. Vernier, J. H. Hutchinson, J. Chung, G. Reyes-Manalo, and T. M. Kamenecka, "Dipyridyl Amides: Potent Metabotropic Glutamate Subtype 5 (mGlu5) Receptor Antagonists," 15(4) Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 1197-1200, 2005

Insights

Select Publications

Co-author with S. G. Durón, A. Lindstrom, H. Zhang, X. Chen, K. T. Symons, M. Sablad, N. Rozenkrants, Y. Zhang, L. Wang, N. Yazdani, A. K. Shiau, S. A. Noble, P. Rix, T. S. Rao, C. A. Hassig, and N. D. Smith, "Heteroaromatic-aminomethyl Quinolones: Potent and Selective iNOS Inhibitors," 22(2) Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 1237-1241, 2012
Co-author with J. E. Payne, J. Roppe, H. Zhuang, X. Chen, K. T. Symons, P. M. Nguyen, M. Sablad, N. Rozenkrants, Y. Zhang, L. Wang, D. Severance, J. P. Walsh, N. Yazdani, A. K. Shiau, S. A. Noble, P. Rix, T. S. Rao, C. A. Hassig, and N. D. Smith, "Discovery of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS) Inhibitor Development Candidate KD7332, Part 1: Identification of a Novel, Potent, and Selective Series of Quinolinone iNOS Dimerization Inhibitors That are Orally Active in Rodent Pain Models," 52(9) Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 3047-3062, 2009
Co-author with J. E. Payne, K. T. Symons, P. M. Nguyen, M. Sablad, N. Rozenkrants, Y. Zhang, L. Wang, N. Yazdani, A. K. Shiau, S. A. Noble, P. Rix, T. S. Rao, C. A. Hassig, and N. D. Smith, "Discovery of Dual Inducible/Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS/nNOS) Inhibitor Development Candidate 4-((2-Cyclobutyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyrazin-1-yl)methyl)-7,8-difluoroquinolin-2(1H)-one (KD7332) Part 2: Identification of a Novel, Potent, and Selective Series of Benzimidazole-Quinolinone iNOS/nNOS Dimerization Inhibitors That Are Orally Active in Pain Models," 53(21) Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 7739-7755, 2010
Co-author with J. E. Payne, C. A. Hassig, K. T. Symons, X. Guo, P.-M. Nguyen, T. Annable, P. L. Wash, T. Z. Hoffman, T. S. Rao, A. K. Shiau, J. W. Malecha, S. A. Noble, J. H. Hager, and N. D. Smith, "Identification of KD5170: A Novel Mercaptoketone-Based Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor," 18(23) Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 6093-6096, 2008
Co-author with J.-M. Vernier, J. H. Hutchinson, M. F. Gardner, M. Cramer, J. K. James, B. A. Rowe, L. P. Daggett, H. Schaffhauser, and T. M. Kamenecka, "Biphenyl-Indanones: Allosteric Potentiators of the Metabotropic Glutamate Subtype 2 Receptor," 15(19) Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 4354-4358, 2005
Co-author with J.-M. Vernier, J. H. Hutchinson, J. Chung, G. Reyes-Manalo, and T. M. Kamenecka, "Dipyridyl Amides: Potent Metabotropic Glutamate Subtype 5 (mGlu5) Receptor Antagonists," 15(4) Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 1197-1200, 2005

Therapeutics and Drug Discovery

Pharmacodynamics
Pharmacokinetics
Small molecule synthesis
Small molecules

Chemistry and Material Science

Chemical synthesis
Chemistry
Organic chemistry

Technical Fluency

Therapeutics and Drug Discovery

Pharmacodynamics
Pharmacokinetics
Small molecule synthesis
Small molecules

Chemistry and Material Science

Chemical synthesis
Chemistry
Organic chemistry

Recent Insights

Client Highlights

On August 13, 2026, Khartis Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing both first- and best-in-class oral small molecule medicines for immunological and chronic diseases, announced that it has raised $50 million in Series B financing. The round was led by Forge Life Science Partners, with participation from Longwood Fund and Alexandria Venture Investments, alongside existing investors Foresite Capital, Lilly Asia Ventures, and Nextech Invest, bringing total capital raised to $95 million. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati advised Khartis on patent matters related to the transaction and has served as patent counsel for the company since its inception in 2024.

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Client Highlights

On August 5, 2026, Braveheart Bio, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation therapeutics for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and other serious cardiovascular diseases, announced the pricing of its upsized initial public offering of 21,250,000 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $18.00 per share. The gross proceeds from the initial public offering, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by Braveheart Bio, are expected to be $382.5 million, excluding any exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares of common stock. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati advised Braveheart Bio on patent matters related to the transaction.

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