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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II, claims 4-7, 9 and 10, in the reply filed on 08/24/2026 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 4-7, 9 and 10 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.
Claim 4 is unclear reciting “wherein the lipid membrane to be laminated includes a polymer lipid membrane (b) and a fluid lipid membrane (c) containing a membrane protein (d)” because it is unclear whether the applicant is claiming structural elements of the membrane or a method of making the membrane.
Claim 7 is unclear reciting “wherein the polymer lipid membrane (b) is subjected to pattern formation to be laminated on the surface of the substrate (a), and wherein the fluid lipid membrane (c) containing the membrane protein (d) is laminated on the surface of the substrate (a) on which the polymer lipid membrane (b) is free from being laminated” because it is unclear whether the applicant is claiming structural elements of the membrane or a method of making the membrane.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 4-7, 9 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Tanimoto et al. (Evaluating the Raftophilicity of Rhodopsin Photoreceptor in a Patterned Model Membrane, Biophysical Journal, 109, December 2015, 2307-2316 (IDS 04/19/2024); Supporting Materials 1-5).
Regarding claim 4, Tanimoto teaches:
4. An artificial biological membrane, comprising:
a substrate (e.g., microscopy coverslips, P2309/Substrate cleaning); and
a lipid membrane laminated on a surface of the substrate (see i.e., Bilayers of monomeric DiynePC were deposited onto glass substrates, P2309/Preparation of patterned polymeric bilayer),
wherein the lipid membrane includes a polymer lipid membrane (see i.e., DiynePC bilayers are polymerized by UV irradiation, P2309/Preparation of patterned polymeric bilayer) and a fluid lipid membrane (see i.e., DOPC/DPPC/Chol vesicle suspension was introduced to produce a fluid bilayer in the patterned substrate-supported planar lipid bilayer (SPB), where R1 contains both polymeric and fluid bilayers, P2309/Phase separation in a patterned SPB) containing a membrane protein (i.e., rhodopsin (Rh) was reconstituted into a preformed SPB, where Rh was incorporated into the bilayer, P2309/Reconstitution of Rh and Gt into the SPB; see also Rh is an integral membrane protein, P2311/Reconstitution of rhodopsin and transducin into the patterned membrane), and
wherein the membrane protein is capable of being in a state of retaining lateral diffusivity (see i.e., lateral diffusion of Rh was observed and measured to have the diffusion coefficient of Cy7-Rh estimated to be 0.23 μm2/s in R0 and 0.36 μm2/s in R1 (Fig. 6), P2312/Localization of Rh and Gt in the patterned membrane; It was observed that ~80% of Rh molecules were mobile in the patterned membrane. P2313/DISCUSSION).
Regarding claims 5-7, 9 & 10, Tanimoto teaches:
5. The artificial biological membrane according to claim 4, wherein the polymer lipid membrane is partially laminated on the surface of the substrate (see Fig. 1 (A) The patterned membrane has two regions: polymer-free region (R0) and partially polymeric region (R1); see also Desired patterns were transferred to the SPB in the polymerization process by illuminating the sample through a photomask that was placed directly on the SPB. The surface coverage of polymeric bilayers was controlled by adjusting the applied UV dose. P2309/Preparation of patterned polymeric bilayer & We prepared patterned membranes with locally modulated fractions of polymeric and fluid bilayer domains. Fig. 2 A shows the fluorescence micrographs of a patterned membrane comprising polymer-free region (R0) and partially polymeric region (R1). P2310/RESULTS for example), and wherein the fluid lipid membrane containing the membrane protein is laminated on the surface of the substrate on which the polymer lipid membrane is free from being laminated (see Fig. 1 (A) The patterned membrane has two regions: polymer-free region (R0) and partially polymeric region (R1); see also Desired patterns were transferred to the SPB in the polymerization process by illuminating the sample through a photomask that was placed directly on the SPB. The surface coverage of polymeric bilayers was controlled by adjusting the applied UV dose. P2309/Preparation of patterned polymeric bilayer & We prepared patterned membranes with locally modulated fractions of polymeric and fluid bilayer domains. Fig. 2 A shows the fluorescence micrographs of a patterned membrane comprising polymer-free region (R0) and partially polymeric region (R1). P2310/RESULTS for example).
6. The artificial biological membrane according to claim 4, wherein the polymer lipid membrane is a photopolymerizable lipid membrane (see i.e., monomeric DiynePC bilayers deposited onto glass substrates & polymerization was conducted by UV irradiation, P2309/Preparation of patterned polymeric bilayer).
7. The artificial biological membrane according to claim 4, wherein the polymer lipid membrane is subjected to pattern formation to be laminated on the surface of the substrate (see i.e., A patterned polymeric bilayer was lithographically generated from a diacetylene phospholipid by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The density of polymeric bilayer domains could be locally modulated by applying varied UV doses and removing nonreacted monomers with a detergent solution (Fig. 1 A), P2308/INTRODUCTION; see also Fig. 1 (A) The patterned membrane has two regions: polymer-free region (R0) and partially polymeric region (R1); Desired patterns were transferred to the SPB in the polymerization process by illuminating the sample through a photomask that was placed directly on the SPB. The surface coverage of polymeric bilayers was controlled by adjusting the applied UV dose. P2309/Preparation of patterned polymeric bilayer & We prepared patterned membranes with locally modulated fractions of polymeric and fluid bilayer domains. Fig. 2 A shows the fluorescence micrographs of a patterned membrane comprising polymer-free region (R0) and partially polymeric region (R1). P2310/RESULTS), and wherein the fluid lipid membrane containing the membrane protein is laminated on the surface of the substrate on which the polymer lipid membrane is free from being laminated (see i.e., A patterned polymeric bilayer was lithographically generated from a diacetylene phospholipid by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The density of polymeric bilayer domains could be locally modulated by applying varied UV doses and removing nonreacted monomers with a detergent solution (Fig. 1 A), P2308/INTRODUCTION; see also Fig. 1 (A) The patterned membrane has two regions: polymer-free region (R0) and partially polymeric region (R1); Desired patterns were transferred to the SPB in the polymerization process by illuminating the sample through a photomask that was placed directly on the SPB. The surface coverage of polymeric bilayers was controlled by adjusting the applied UV dose. P2309/Preparation of patterned polymeric bilayer & We prepared patterned membranes with locally modulated fractions of polymeric and fluid bilayer domains. Fig. 2 A shows the fluorescence micrographs of a patterned membrane comprising polymer-free region (R0) and partially polymeric region (R1). P2310/RESULTS).
9. The artificial biological membrane according to claim 4, wherein the membrane protein is one or two or more kinds of membrane proteins (e.g., rhodopsin (Rh), Abstract+).
10. The artificial biological membrane according to claim 9, wherein at least one kind of the membrane protein is a protein classified into a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) (see i.e., the photoreceptor rhodopsin (Rh) is a GPCR, P2307/INTRODUCTION).
Conclusion
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/DEAN KWAK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1795
DEAN KWAK
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1795
