Last updated: July 17, 2026

Application No. 18/886,300

PLATFORM OF COMPOSABLE MAMMALIAN ELEMENTS OF TRANSCRIPTION (COMET)

Non-Final OA

Filed

Sep 16, 2024

Priority

Mar 23, 2017 — provisional 62/475,597 +2 more

Examiner

FRONDA, CHRISTIAN L

Art Unit

1652

Tech Center

1600 — Biotechnology & Organic Chemistry

Assignee

Northwestern University

OA Round

1 (Non-Final)

Interview Optional

— +14.0% interview lift. Interview lift (+14.0%) is below the 15.0% threshold. A written response is recommended.

Based on 1350 resolved cases, 2023–2026

Examiner Intelligence

FRONDA, CHRISTIAN L View full profile →

Grants 83% — above average

Career Allowance Rate

1115 granted / 1350 resolved

+22.6% vs TC avg

Moderate +14% lift

Without

With

+14.0%

Interview Lift

resolved cases with interview

Typical timeline

2y 5m

Avg Prosecution

47 currently pending

Career history

1388

Total Applications

across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101

0.4%

-39.6% vs TC avg

§103

28.8%

-11.2% vs TC avg

§102

7.2%

-32.8% vs TC avg

§112

22.8%

-17.2% vs TC avg

Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1350 resolved cases

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 16, 2024

Application Filed

May 06, 2026

Non-Final Rejection mailed (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

17/449,218

Patent 12680114

Cyclopropane-containing compounds useful as fuel

4y 9m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

18/024,400

Patent 12680120

CORYNEBACTERIUM GLUTAMICUM MUTANT STRAIN HAVING ENHANCED L-LYSINE PRODUCTIVITY AND METHOD OF PRODUCING L-LYSINE USING THE SAME

3y 4m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026

17/766,389

Patent 12668823

MICROORGANISM HAVING INCREASED ACTIVITY OF 3-METHYL-2-OXOBUTANOATE HYDROXYMETHYLTRANSFERASE, AND USE THEREOF

4y 2m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

18/024,942

Patent 12668824

ENGINEERED BIOCATALYSTS AND METHODS FOR SYNTHESIZING CHIRAL AMINES

3y 3m to grant Granted Jun 30, 2026

17/754,988

Patent 12649938

L-METHIONINE PRODUCING MICROORGANISM TO WHICH PROTEIN ENCODED BY FOREIGN METZ GENE IS INTRODUCED AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING L-METHIONINE USING SAME

3y 6m to grant Granted Jun 09, 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.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2

Expected OA Rounds

83%

Grant Probability

97%

With Interview (+14.0%)

2y 5m (~7m remaining)

Median Time to Grant

Low

PTA Risk

Based on 1350 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.