DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Applicant’s amendment and remarks filed on 11/7/2025 are acknowledged. Claims 2, 4, 6-7, 10-11, and 20-23 are amended. Claims 18 and 24 are cancelled. New claims 25-26 are added. Claims 1-4, 6-11, 13-16, 20-23, and 25-26 are pending.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I in the reply filed on 11/7/2025 is acknowledged. Newly submitted claims 25-26 are part of Group I as set forth in the restriction requirement of 9/10/2025. Claims 7-11, 13-16, and 20-24 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Claims 1-4, 6, and 25-26 are currently under examination.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on applications filed in the United Kingdom on 2/24/2022, 3/31/2022, and 10/16/2022. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the applications as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed on 7/12/2023 and 11/7/2025 have been considered. Signed copies are enclosed.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: The specification contains claims. These claims do not correspond with the actual claims. The claims are required to be a separate section from the specification.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(B) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 3, the phrase "for example" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
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 1-4 and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Vannini et al (WO2020/201076; IDS filed 7/12/2023).
The instant claims are drawn to T-cell populations enriched in T-memory stem cells.
Vannini et al disclose a composition of T cells that was contacted with urolithin A at a concentration of 20µM (see page 25, line 21 to page 26, line 3 and page 34). According to the instant specification, exposure of T cells to urolithin results in a population enriched in T memory stem cells including CD8 positive T-memory stem cells.
Claims 1-4, 6, and 25-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chunyang et al (CN113813255; IDS filed 7/12/2023; translation attached). Page references are to the translation document).
The instant claims are drawn to T-cell populations enriched in T-memory stem cells.
Chunyang et al disclose the use of urolithin A in tumor immunotherapy (see abstract). Chunyang et al show treatment of CD8 T cells with urolithin A (see page 7, section 2). According to the instant specification, exposure of T cells to urolithin results in a population enriched in T memory stem cells including CD8 positive T-memory stem cells. Chunyang et al also disclose treatment of CAR-T cells with urolithin A (see page 7, section 3).
Conclusion
No claim is allowed.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Brian J Gangle whose telephone number is (571)272-1181. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 9-6:30.
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/BRIAN GANGLE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1645
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