Ross McNaughton

Featured award

Chambers and Partners UK 2026

Corporate/M&A: £5 million and above - Band 3: "Ross is a smart, pragmatic and knowledgeable lawyer with extensive life sciences connections. He is very available, easy to talk to and accommodating, and he gets the science." "Ross is very well known locally for being a strong technical lawyer with a good network and life sciences expertise."

Ross is a partner in the Corporate and Life Sciences team, based in our Cambridge office.

Ross is a lead partner within the firm's Tier 1-ranked Biotechnology practice in Cambridge. His practice involves helping life sciences and technology companies as they progress through their life cycle in all aspects of their growth, capital raising and international expansion. As a sector specialist, Ross focuses on biotech, medical devices and diagnostics within Life Sciences, and with the Tech sector supports companies operating in the capital intensive deep tech space, including quantum computing, artificial intelligence, advanced materials, as well as web3.

Ross has extensive experience of a variety of venture and growth financing, public capital raisings, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate advice. Ross was based out of San Francisco, CA in 2018 – 19 and as a result, he has a particular expertise in transactions with a transatlantic component.

CV

Since 2020 Partner, Taylor Wessing LLP

2015 - 2020 Partner, Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP, Cambridge

2010 - 2015 Partner, Paul Hastings LLP, London

Karriere

Since 2020 Partner, Taylor Wessing LLP

2015 - 2020 Partner, Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP, Cambridge

2010 - 2015 Partner, Paul Hastings LLP, London

Ausbildung

2018 Admitted as a foreign legal consultant, state bar of California

2004 Admitted as a lawyer, England and Wales

2001 LPC and Post Graduate Degree in Law, Nottingham Law School

Fremdsprachen

Awards

Chambers and Partners UK 2026

Featured

Legal 500 UK 2026

Legal 500 UK 2025

Mehr

Experience

Advising on Draig Therapeutics' US$140 million series A financing

We have advised a syndicate of leading global life sciences investors including Access Biotechnology, Canaan Partners and SR One on their landmark US$140 million series A investment in Draig Therapeutics.

Press release

Ross McNaughton

Elinor Picton

Oli Denne

Helen Farr

Adrian Toutoungi

Charlie Adams

Nicholas Vollers

Ed Chapman

Blue Earth Therapeutics on the closing of US$76.5 million Series A funding

We have advised Blue Earth Therapeutics and its management on the closing of US$76.5 million Series A funding. The new funding comes from a broad spectrum of experienced biotech investors and enables Blue Earth Therapeutics to further advance its clinical stage prostate-specific membrane antigen-targeted radioligand therapies.

Press release

Ross McNaughton

Bella Thornton-Clark

Healx raises $47 million in its Series C funding

Advised Healx, an AI-enabled, clinical-stage biotech company specializing in rare diseases based in Cambridge UK, on its $47 million Series C funding. The funding was co-led by Silicon Valley-based R42 Group and Atomico, one of Europe’s largest venture capital firms, with participation from new and existing investors including Balderton, Jonathan Milner, Global Brain, btov, Ayana Capital, o2h and VU Venture Partners.

Press release

Ross McNaughton

Oli Denne

Advising gene therapy company AlveoGene on its complex spinout and launch investment

We have advised AlveoGene, a new UK gene therapy company on its complex spinout from the Gene Therapy Consortium of Imperial College and the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh focusing on rare respiratory diseases, as well as on its seed round investment.

Press release

Ross McNaughton

Bella Thornton-Clark

Advising on transformational life sciences combinations and cross-over rounds

Ross was the lead partner on the transformational roll-up and $250 million cross-over financing of Centessa Pharmaceuticals, representing eight cutting-edge UK and European biotech companies on their participation in a newly established holding company focused on the development of innovative new treatments. Ross was also the lead partner on the combination of three New Science Ventures-backed companies under Ventyx Biosciences Inc in the context of its concurrent $114 million financing led by venBio Partners.

Ross McNaughton

Acting on venture growth rounds for leading life sciences and tech businesses

Ross constantly acts for leading growth companies and investors on their funding rounds, including recently Cambridge Epigenetix on its $88 million series D funding round led by Temasek, Envelop Risk on its $130 million round led by SoftBank, and Oxbotica on its $47 million series B investment.

Ross McNaughton