Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 04, 2026
Application No. 18/350,985

ENZYMATIC SYNTHESIS OF KAVALACTONES AND FLAVOKAVAINS

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Jul 12, 2023
Priority
Jan 17, 2018 — provisional 62/618,549 +2 more
Examiner
MEAH, MOHAMMAD Y
Art Unit
1652
Tech Center
1600 — Biotechnology & Organic Chemistry
Assignee
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
71%
Grant Probability
Favorable
2-3
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 71% — above average
71%
Career Allowance Rate
694 granted / 980 resolved
+10.8% vs TC avg
Strong +43% interview lift
Without
With
+42.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
56 currently pending
Career history
1002
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
4.2%
-35.8% vs TC avg
§103
26.2%
-13.8% vs TC avg
§102
17.3%
-22.7% vs TC avg
§112
39.5%
-0.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 980 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . Detailed Action Claims 1-12,14,16,20,22,24,26,28 and 30 submitted on 6/8/2026 are pending for examination. Applicants’ argument submitted on 6/8/2026 is considered. Rejections and/or objections not reiterated from previous office actions are hereby withdrawn. Claim Rejections 35 USC 112(b) Rejection 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. Claims 22, and 24, 26, 28, 30 ( depend on claim 22) 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. Claim 22 is rejected for being unclear for reciting “conducted in a recombinant cell”. Claim 22 depends on claim 1. Claim 1 recite a method for producing a compound of Formula (II), the method comprising: condensing a compound of Formula (I), or a salt thereof, with coenzyme A (CoA) using an enzyme that is at least 80% identical to the Pm4CL1 amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 to produce a compound of Formula (II). It is unclear how a purified Pm4CL1 enzyme of amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 obtained and purified from host cell ( see claims 14, 16 ), compound of formula (I) and coenzyme A (CoA) compound will be introduced in a recombinant cell. Claim 1 used isolated and purified enzyme. Correction is required. Conclusion Claims 1-12,14,16, 20 are allowed. Claims 22,24,26,28 and 30 are rejected. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mohammad Meah whose telephone number is 571-272- 1261. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30-5PM. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert Mondesi can be reached on 4089187584. 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 http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system. /MOHAMMAD Y MEAH/Examiner, Art Unit 1652
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 12, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 06, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112
Jun 08, 2026
Response Filed
Aug 18, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12747262
ALKOXYPHENYL DERIVATIVES, PROTECTED NUCLEOSIDES AND PROTECTED NUCLEOTIDES, METHOD FOR PRODUCING OLIGONUCLEOTIDES, AND METHOD FOR REMOVING SUBSTITUENTS
2y 6m to grant Granted Sep 29, 2026
Patent 12735446
ALKOXYPHENYL DERIVATIVES, PROTECTED NUCLEOSIDES AND PROTECTED NUCLEOTIDES, METHOD FOR PRODUCING OLIGONUCLEOTIDES, AND METHOD FOR REMOVING SUBSTITUENTS
2y 6m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12698505
EUKARYOTIC HOST SYSTEM FOR PRODUCING RECOMBINANT PROTEINS
4y 10m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12697348
COMPOSITIONS FOR PROMOTING LONGEVITY AND METHODS OF USING THE SAME
2y 5m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12698482
COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR TREATING MITOCHONDRIAL NEUROGASTROINTESTINAL ENCEPHALOPATHY
2y 4m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
71%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+42.7%)
3y 0m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 980 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance 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