Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/184,517

MEDIA AND METHODS FOR ENHANCING THE SURVIVAL AND PROLIFERATION OF STEM CELLS

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Mar 15, 2023
Examiner
MONTANARI, DAVID A
Art Unit
1632
Tech Center
1600 — Biotechnology & Organic Chemistry
Assignee
STEMCELL Technologies Canada Inc.
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
65%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
3y 10m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 65% — above average
65%
Career Allow Rate
491 granted / 754 resolved
+5.1% vs TC avg
Strong +49% interview lift
Without
With
+49.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 10m
Avg Prosecution
42 currently pending
Career history
796
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
4.7%
-35.3% vs TC avg
§103
33.1%
-6.9% vs TC avg
§102
15.9%
-24.1% vs TC avg
§112
31.7%
-8.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 754 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114 A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 2/12/2026 has been entered. Claim 12 has been amended. Claim 24 is new. Claims 16, 22 and 23 have been cancelled. In view of Applicant’s amendments to claim 12, the new matter, the 102 rejection and the 103 rejection are withdrawn. Claims 12-14, 17-21 and 24 are examined in the instant application. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Claims 12-14, 17-21 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. This is a new matter rejection. Applicants in their response filed on 2/12/2026 have amended claim 12 to recite adding to the cultured mammalian stem cells (which are cultured with a lipid supplement) an additional culture medium not comprising the lipid supplement. Applicants cite paragraphs 9-12, 102, 134, 135 and 157 as providing support for the new amendment. However, a review of the cited paragraphs, the originally filed claims and the specification as a whole does not teach the new step of adding a culture medium not comprising a lipid supplement to a culture of mammalian stem cells that are cultured with a lipid supplement. If Applicant believe this rejection is in error they are invited to cite page and line number where support can be found for the new amendment. Conclusion No claims are allowed. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID A MONTANARI whose telephone number is (571)272-3108. The examiner can normally be reached M-Tr 8-6. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Peter Paras can be reached at 571-272-4517. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /DAVID A MONTANARI/Examiner, Art Unit 1632
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 15, 2023
Application Filed
May 16, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Aug 15, 2025
Response Filed
Nov 14, 2025
Final Rejection — §112
Feb 12, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Feb 13, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Feb 21, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12594306
USE OF ENTPD3 FOR IDENTIFICATION, ISOLATION, AND ENHANCING MATURE STEM CELL DERIVED INSULIN-PRODUCING CELLS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12584110
FUNCTIONAL FELINE PANCREATIC CELLS FROM ADIPOSE TISSUE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12577587
COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR MAMMALIAN GENETICS AND USES THEREOF
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026
Patent 12576142
UNIVERSAL DONOR CELLS AND RELATED METHODS
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026
Patent 12571005
PROTECTED GUIDE RNAS (PGRNAS)
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

AI Strategy Recommendation

Get an AI-powered prosecution strategy using examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Powered by AI — typically takes 5-10 seconds

Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
65%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+49.1%)
3y 10m
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 754 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month