Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/320,929

COMPOUNDS AND USE THEREOF IN THE EXPANSION OF STEM CELLS AND/OR PROGENITOR CELLS

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
May 19, 2023
Examiner
HAVLIN, ROBERT H
Art Unit
1626
Tech Center
1600 — Biotechnology & Organic Chemistry
Assignee
UNIVERSITE DE MONTREAL
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
53%
Grant Probability
Moderate
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 11m
To Grant
80%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 53% of resolved cases
53%
Career Allow Rate
534 granted / 1016 resolved
-7.4% vs TC avg
Strong +27% interview lift
Without
With
+27.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 11m
Avg Prosecution
99 currently pending
Career history
1115
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.0%
-39.0% vs TC avg
§103
30.8%
-9.2% vs TC avg
§102
24.8%
-15.2% vs TC avg
§112
28.2%
-11.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1016 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Priority This application is a DIV of 16/760,780 (04/30/2020, US11696928) 16/760,780 is a 371 of PCT/IB2018/058593 (11/01/2018) PCT/IB2018/058593 has PRO 62/581,149 (11/03/2017). Election/Restrictions Applicant's election of species without traverse of the following in the reply filed on 12/5/2025 is acknowledged. PNG media_image1.png 134 520 media_image1.png Greyscale The elected species corresponds to claim 1 formula I: PNG media_image2.png 169 384 media_image2.png Greyscale when V1 is N; V2 is CH; W is C; X is S; R1 is CH3; R2 is H; R3 is 4-chlorophenyl; and is determined to read on claims 1-2, 7-9, 11-12, 16-17. As detailed in the following rejections, the generic claim encompassing the elected species was not found patentable. Therefore, the provisional election of species is given effect, the examination is restricted to the elected species only, and claims not reading on the elected species are held withdrawn. MPEP 803.02; Ex parte Ohsaka, 2 USPQ2d 1460, 1461 (Bd. Pat. App. lnt. 1987). Accordingly, claims 3-6, 10, 13-15 are hereby withdrawn. Should applicant, in response to this rejection of the Markush-type claim, overcome the rejection through amendment, the amended Markush-type claim will be reexamined to the extent necessary to determine patentability of the Markush-type claim. See MPEP 803.02. 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. (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claims 1-2, 7-9, 11, 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Abulwerdi et al. (J. Med. Chem. 2016, 59, p. 11148−11160). Abulwerdi teaches compound 7 (p. 11149): PNG media_image3.png 440 519 media_image3.png Greyscale corresponding to claim 1 formula I: PNG media_image2.png 169 384 media_image2.png Greyscale when: V1 is N; V2 is CH; W is C; X is S; R1 is CH3; R2 is H; R3 is 4-trifluoromethylphenyl. Claim Objections Claim 12 is objected to for being dependent on a rejected base claim. Conclusion No claims allowed. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT H HAVLIN whose telephone number is (571)272-9066. The examiner can normally be reached 9am - 6pm. 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, Kortney Klinkel can be reached at (571) 270-5293. 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. /ROBERT H HAVLIN/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1626
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 19, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 02, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

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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
53%
Grant Probability
80%
With Interview (+27.2%)
2y 11m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1016 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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