Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/279,687

Synthesis of Gamma Peptide Nucleic Acid Monomers and Oligomers, and Applications Therefor

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Aug 31, 2023
Examiner
LEWIS, PATRICK T
Art Unit
1691
Tech Center
1600 — Biotechnology & Organic Chemistry
Assignee
Carnegie Mellon University
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
74%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 6m
To Grant
89%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 74% — above average
74%
Career Allow Rate
844 granted / 1135 resolved
+14.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +14% lift
Without
With
+14.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
40 currently pending
Career history
1175
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
4.0%
-36.0% vs TC avg
§103
30.5%
-9.5% vs TC avg
§102
20.4%
-19.6% vs TC avg
§112
21.4%
-18.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1135 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 . Claim Objections Claims 1-8 are objected to because of the following informalities: in line 6 of claim 1, the text “3-oxide )” reads upon an open set of parentheses. Appropriate correction is required. Claims 4-8, 11, 13-14, 16, 18-19, and 24 are objected to because of the following informalities: the claim contains text in a different color and/or shading such as “claim 1” in claim 4 hindering the legibility of the text. The objection is to any/all text in the claims containing a different color and/or shading. Appropriate correction is required. Claim 10 is objected to because of the following informalities: the term “Removing” should not be capitalized. 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. Claims 19-21 and 24 are 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Variable “R1” and/or “n” is/are not defined in the claim. Thus, one of ordinary skill would not have been apprised of the metes and bounds of a compound of structure (5). The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d): (d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers. The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph: Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers. Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends. Claim 11 fails to further limit claim 10, as claim 10 already requires that one of R5 or R6 is H, and the other of R5 and R6 is PNG media_image1.png 70 180 media_image1.png Greyscale , where m is 1, 2, 3, or 4. Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements. Conclusion Claims 1-8, 10-11, 13-14, 16, 18-21, and 24 are pending. Claims 11, 19-21 and 24 are rejected. Claims 1-8, 10, 13-14, 16, and 18 are objected to. No claims are allowed. Contacts Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PATRICK T LEWIS whose telephone number is (571)272-0655. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 4 PM EST (Maxi Flex). 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, Renee Claytor can be reached at (571) 272-8394. 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. /PATRICK T LEWIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1691 /PL/
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Prosecution Timeline

Aug 31, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
74%
Grant Probability
89%
With Interview (+14.3%)
2y 6m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1135 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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