Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 17/277,829

STEROL ANALOGS AND USES THEREOF

Final Rejection §102
Filed
Mar 19, 2021
Examiner
MCDOWELL, BRIAN E
Art Unit
1624
Tech Center
1600 — Biotechnology & Organic Chemistry
Assignee
Modernatx Inc.
OA Round
2 (Final)
74%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
2y 4m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 74% — above average
74%
Career Allow Rate
818 granted / 1102 resolved
+14.2% vs TC avg
Strong +30% interview lift
Without
With
+30.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
58 currently pending
Career history
1160
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.0%
-39.0% vs TC avg
§103
15.0%
-25.0% vs TC avg
§102
19.5%
-20.5% vs TC avg
§112
47.6%
+7.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1102 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . DETAILED ACTION Status of Claims Claims 1,189,203 and 266-272 are pending in the instant application. Claims 266-272 are new and drawn to the elected invention. Claim 203 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. An action on the merits of claims 1,189, and 266-272 is contained herein. The examiner has expanded the search to cover the species of formula Ia. Information Disclosure Statement The examiner has considered the information disclosure statement filed most recently of record. Previous Objections/Rejections Any rejections or objections stated of record in the office action mailed on 3/20/2025 that are not explicitly addressed herein below, are hereby withdrawn in light of applicant's arguments and/or amendments filed 8/20/2025. New Rejections Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claims 1,189, and 266-272 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated over US Patent Application 2022/0296517. US 2022/0296517 teach the following compounds at page 179 (example 19) and at page 186 (example 184): PNG media_image1.png 176 552 media_image1.png Greyscale PNG media_image2.png 160 576 media_image2.png Greyscale wherein the compounds falls within the scope of Formula Ia, wherein X = O, R1b = H or triisopropylsilyl, R3 = methyl, L1a-1c = alkyl or alkylsulfonyl, n14 = 0, and Y3 =-Nmethyl or S. Thus the claims are anticipated. Claims 1, 267, and 270-271 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated over CN 107312056. CN 107312056 teach the following compound (see abstract): PNG media_image3.png 112 192 media_image3.png Greyscale wherein the compound falls within the scope of Formula Ia, wherein X = O, R1b = H, R3 = methyl, L1a-1c = absent, n14 = 1, R12 = halo, and Y3 = -NH. Thus the claims are anticipated. Conclusion No claims are allowed. Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIAN E MCDOWELL whose telephone number is (571)270-5755. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30-6 MF. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeffrey Murray can be reached at 571-272-9023. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /BRIAN E MCDOWELL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1624
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 19, 2021
Application Filed
Mar 17, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102
Aug 20, 2025
Response Filed
Oct 01, 2025
Final Rejection — §102
Apr 01, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Apr 03, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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Patent 12604600
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2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12559494
NOVEL FUNCTIONALIZED LACTAMS AS MODULATORS OF THE 5-HYDROXYTRYPTAMINE RECEPTOR 7 AND THEIR METHOD OF USE
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 24, 2026
Patent 12552807
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2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 17, 2026
Patent 12545665
CRYSTAL FORM OF 6-(CYCLOPROPANECARBOXAMIDO)-4-((2-METHOXY-3-(1-METHYL-1H-1,2,4-TRIAZOL-3-YL)PHENYL)AMINO)-N-(METHYL-D3) PYRIDAZINE-3-CARBOXAMIDE
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 10, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
74%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+30.3%)
2y 4m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1102 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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