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 . Claims 1 and 5-21 are pending in this application.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I in the reply filed on 07/06/2026 is acknowledged.
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 1 and 5-11 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:
a. Claim 1 and claims dependent thereon are rejected because the phrase “comprising two molecules of anti-VEGF agent or two distinct anti-VEGF agents linked via a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-sensitive linker” has several problems. First, the term “comprising” in claim 1 is an open ended-language and it is unclear what else is present in claim 1. Is claim 1 drawn to a compound claim or a composition claim that comprises other ingredients? Second, the phrase “two molecules of anti-VEGF agents” or “two distinct molecules of anti-VEGF agents” is not clear. What are the two distinct anti-VEGF molecules?
b. In claim 5, the phrase “A composition comprising the compound of claim 1 at a concentration about 20% to about 80% or about 41.97% to about 69.82” is not clear. First, is this a pharmaceutical composition? If so, where is the pharmaceutical acceptable carrier? Second it is unclear what a concentration about 20% to about 80% mean? If the concentration is 20%, what is the remaining 80/% concentration?
c. In claim 6, the phrase “photosensitizer and/or biocompatible polymeric material” is indefinite. What is covered and what is not? It is recommended that applicant recite specific “photosensitizer and/or biocompatible polymeric material” as it was done in claims 8-9.
Information Disclosure Statement
5. Applicant’s Information Disclosure Statement, filed on 04/18/2025 has been acknowledged. Please refer to Applicant’s copies of the 1449 submitted herewith.
Conclusion
6. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kahsay Habte Ph.D. whose telephone number is (571)272-0667. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30 - 5:00 PM.
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, JEFFREY MURRAY can be reached on 571-272-9023. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see https://ppair-my.uspto.gov/pair/PrivatePair. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Kahsay Habte/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1624
July 26, 2026
Prosecution Insights