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 .
Amendment filed February 23, 2026 is entered.
Claims 1, 3-6, 11-16, 20, 24-26, 28, 31, 40, 76 are pending. Claims 2, 7-10, 17-19, 21-23, 27, 29-30, 32-39, 41-75, 77-80 are canceled. Claims 40 and 76 are withdrawn. Claims 1, 3-6, 11-16, 20, 24-26, 28, 31 are examined.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1, 3-6, 11-16, 20, 24-26, 28, 31 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eykerman et al. (US 2003/0100021) in view of Wells et al. (WO 2013/112625).
Eykerman teach the method of compound compound binding using recombinant receptor comprising extracellular ligand-binding domain, cytoplasmic domain, transmembrane domain and heterologous bait polypeptide which binds the prey polypeptide (para 2, 11, 12, 13, 31). The bait protein is modified by enzyme activity (para 20, 23-24). The bait polypeptide includes an activation site which is tyrosine phosphorylation site of STAT binding site for bait and prey interactions (para 25, 27, 220). Bait protein is an FK506 binding protein FKBP and interaction with small molecule (para 34, 46-49, 274-275, 274). Bait-prey binding activation of signaling pathway which can be detected with a reporter system (para 31, 40, 46, 246, 275).
Eykerman does not teach the bait protein is E3 ligase.
Wells teach a reporter system to identify substate binding interactions comprising a bait protein which E3 ligase or modified E3 ligase which are from CRBN (cereblon), XIAP, cIAP, gp78, Doal o, RNF13, RF38, (para7-8).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to incorporate the E3 ligase in bait protein of Wells into the receptor bait protein of Eyckerman. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to combine the teaching because Wells teaches the bait protein E3 ligase is a catalytic tagging system to identify specific substrates and E3 ligase can detect molecular interaction of bait and prey proteins fused to different receptors.
Applicant claim amendment drawn to small molecule does not comprise a linker does not avoid the teaching of Eyckerman of small molecule. Eyckerman state that “… bait and prey are linked together by the small molecule” but does not teach that small molecule comprises a linker.
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 MICHAEL D PAK whose telephone number is (571)272-0879. The examiner can normally be reached on flexible time.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Vanessa Ford can be reached on 571-272-0857. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MICHAEL D PAK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1674
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