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 of Group I, claims 1-7, 9-16, 15-16, 28 and 29-32 in the reply filed on 6/2/2026 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Group I appears to be free of prior art as such claims 17 and 27 are eligible for rejoinder once the issues below are resolved. Examiner suggests amending claim 27 to recite “A method of reducing dermal fibrosis or scarring during healing of a cutaneous wound…”.
However, claim 24 is not eligible for rejoinder. Applicant should consider canceling this claim in the next response.
Claim Objections
Claim 4 objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 4 recites “PEG is in an amount” instead of “PEG is present in an amount”. 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.
Claim 1-7, 9-13, 15-16 and 29-32 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 1(b) recites the limitation "the terminal aliphatic carboxylic acid groups of the HA". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For purposes of examination the examiner has examined the claim as reciting “the terminal aliphatic carboxylic acid groups of the GO”.
Relevant Prior Art
Claim interpretation: Claim 1 recites “GO-HA conjugate is prepared by…” while this a product-by-process step, the modification of the GO to provide terminal aliphatic carboxylic acid groups to form modified GO results in a structural difference as compared to GO which has not been modified.
Wu 2014, cited on the 7/17/2024 IDS, discloses HA-GO conjugate for targeted drug delivery
PNG
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490
734
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and teaches activating the carboxylic acid groups of the GO, but does not teach the GO to have been modified to provide terminal aliphatic carboxylic acid groups and does not teach XAV939.
Jia 2015 discusses covalently crosslinked graphene oxide (GO) membranes with adjustable
intersheet spacing by esterification reactions, using dicarboxylic acids, diols or polyols as the crosslinker and hydrochloric acid as the catalyst. Jia teaches the GO to have aliphatic terminal carboxylic acid groups (Scheme 1) but does not provide a motivation or suggestion to use this in combination with HA and XAV939.
Ran 2017, cited on the 7/17/2024 IDS, discusses hyaluronic acid-templated Ag Nanoparticles/Graphene Oxide (GO-HA-AgNPs) composites for synergistic therapy of bacterial infection. Ran teaches that the GO-HA-AgNPs are prepared for in vivo experiments and show excellent antibacterial property in wound disinfection model (Abs). Ran teaches the GO and the HA to be linked and teaches this to be performed by a) preparing HA-ADH (adipic acid dihydrazide) by dissolving HA in 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (MES) buffer, adding dimethyl sulfoxide-deionized (DMSO-DI) water (1:1, 1 mL) containing EDC (192 mg) and NHS (232 mg) to this solution, the pH of the solution was adjusted to 6.0 and the solution was stirred overnight. To finish the reaction, the pH was adjusted to 7.0 with a 30-fold molar excess of ADH added. A spongy-like HA-ADH was obtained by freeze-drying.; b) HA-AgNps were prepared by mixing AgNo3 and HA-ADH and c) GO-HA-AgNPs were prepared by dispersing GO sheets in MES buffer and EDC and NHS were added and mixed, afterwards to HA-AgNPs were added to the systems and the reactant mixture was dialyzed. Ran does not teach the GO to have been modified to provide terminal aliphatic carboxylic acid groups and does not teach XAV939.
The prior art above, neither alone or combination, makes obvious a composition comprising a GO-HA conjugate wherein the GO is modified to comprise terminal aliphatic carboxylic acid groups which react with the derivatized HA, wherein the composition also comprises XAV939.
Conclusion
No claims are allowable.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jennifer A Berrios whose telephone number is (571)270-7679. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday from 9am-4pm and Friday 9am-3:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Brian Kwon can be reached at (571) 272-0581. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JENNIFER A BERRIOS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1613
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