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
This Non-Final Office Action is responsive to the communication received 12/23/2025.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse in the Reply filed on 12/23/2025 of group II, claims 11-13 is acknowledged.
Applicant has elected without traverse in the Reply filed on 12/23/2025 the following species:
A. the mutagenic genes on the random mutation module mutagenesis plasmid is an encoding gene AID of a cytosine deaminase
The Restriction/Election Requirements are deemed proper and are made FINAL.
Claims 1-13 are pending.
Claims 1-10 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the Reply filed on 12/23/2025.
Claims 11-13 are under examination in this Office Action.
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.
Claims 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liu et al. (10/22/2020) US Patent Application Publication 2020/0332282 A1 cited in the 12/02/2022 IDS (hereinafter known as "Liu").
With regards to claims 11-13, Liu teaches:
a) as in claims 11-13, a method of continuous directed evolution of genes, comprising transforming a continuous directed evolution system, comprising a random mutation module mutagenesis plasmid, a programmed death module toxin-antitoxin system and a target gene expression module target plasmid, wherein the random mutation module mutagenesis plasmid comprises mutagenic genes and helper genes, the target gene expression module target plasmid comprises target genes and helper gene recognition or binding elements, and the programmed death module toxin-antitoxin system comprises toxin protein encoding genes and antitoxic protein encoding genes to microbial cells, and the microbial cells comprises Escherichia coli; wherein the mutagenic genes on the random mutation module mutagenesis plasmid comprise an encoding gene AID of a cytosine deaminase; comprising inducing the microbial cells by virtue of inducers, inducing the random mutation module mutagenesis plasmid to express mutagenic proteins, inducing the target gene expression module target plasmid to express target proteins, inducing the programmed death module toxin-antitoxin system to express proteins assisting in recognition or binding and toxin proteins, and adding corresponding substrates according to different target proteins; comprising transforming the induced microbial cells and continuously culturing in a culture medium containing inducers (see Figures 2 and 3 and [0007] to [0084]).
Thus, Liu anticipates the present claims.
Conclusion
No claim is allowed.
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/CHRISTIAN C BOESEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1684