Technology area: Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
30 pending office actions • 5 art units • 18 examiners • 0 of 30 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 11 patents granted in the last 365 days
Grail LLC has 30 pending office actions in Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals. The portfolio spans 18 distinct examiners and 5 distinct art units, showing broad examiner coverage alongside substantial art-unit concentration.
LIU, GUOZHEN is the busiest examiner, with 4 pending matters. The volume supports centralized portfolio management, while the spread across examiners calls for file-specific prosecution strategies.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 11 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date; the rest are excluded from the tile counts.
Every pending office action with a known statutory deadline, placed on a days-until-due axis. Dots left of Today are overdue; the further right, the more runway. Cases that share a deadline window stack vertically. 11 of the docket's apps have a known mailing date.
Difficulty is derived from the rejection statutes on the most recent pending office action. §101-driven and multi-statute cases are graded Hard; §112-only and obviousness-type double-patenting cases are graded Easy; everything else is Medium. "Unknown" means we have not yet parsed a statute for that office action.
| Bucket | Cases |
|---|---|
| §101 only | 4 (13%) |
| §101 + other | 22 (73%) |
| §102 only | 1 (3%) |
| Double-patenting only | 1 (3%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 2 (7%) |
How the docket's pending cases split across USPTO tech-center bands.
Manual office-action response work runs about 10 hours per case. The time-saved bands below show what IP Author's prosecution pipeline typically delivers — a conservative 20% on the low end, 35% in the middle, 50% on the high end.
| Examiner | Apps on this docket | Allow rate | Interview lift |
|---|---|---|---|
| LIU, GUOZHEN | 4 | 48.1% | +26.0% |
| HAYES, JONATHAN EDWARD | 3 | 36.3% | +23.5% |
| DHARITHREESAN, NIDHI | 2 | 40.0% | +33.1% |
| GIAMMONA, FRANCESCA FILIPPA | 2 | 37.3% | +58.8% |
| KRIANGCHAIVECH, KETTIP | 2 | 19.0% | +28.8% |
| MINCHELLA, KAITLYN L | 2 | 26.4% | +21.7% |
| VASSELL, MEREDITH ABBOTT | 2 | 29.9% | +45.8% |
| ZHANG, KAIJIANG | 2 | 77.2% | +34.3% |
| PLAYER, ROBERT AUSTIN | 2 | 13.6% | +34.1% |
| NGUYEN, PETER | 1 | — | — |
Multi-statute / §101-driven matters, or cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate under 30%. The top 8 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17144021 | BITERMINAL DNA FRAGMENT TYPES IN CELL-FREE SAMPLES AND USES THEREOF | HAYES, JONATHAN EDWARD | 112d overdue |
| 17105175 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EVALUATING LONGITUDINAL BIOLOGICAL FEATURE DATA | AUGER, NOAH ANDREW | 104d overdue |
| 17050372 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING PATHOGEN NUCLEIC ACID LOAD TO DETERMINE WHETHER A SUBJECT HAS A CANCER CONDITION | PLAYER, ROBERT AUSTIN | 97d overdue |
| 16721619 | CELL-FREE DNA END CHARACTERISTICS | MINCHELLA, KAITLYN L | 93d overdue |
| 18628166 | Anomalous Fragment Detection and Classification | LIU, GUOZHEN | 30d overdue |
| 17845930 | METHODS OF IDENTIFYING SOMATIC MUTATIONAL SIGNATURES FOR EARLY CANCER DETECTION | LIU, GUOZHEN | 29d overdue |
| 17047676 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING TUMOR FRACTION IN CELL-FREE NUCLEIC ACID | HAYES, JONATHAN EDWARD | 19d overdue |
| 15931022 | MODEL-BASED FEATURIZATION AND CLASSIFICATION | KRIANGCHAIVECH, KETTIP | 10d overdue |
Cases in front of an examiner whose interview lift is 10 percentage points or more — i.e. interviewed cases historically resolve more favorably than non-interviewed ones. The top 8 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17144021 | BITERMINAL DNA FRAGMENT TYPES IN CELL-FREE SAMPLES AND USES THEREOF | HAYES, JONATHAN EDWARD | 112d overdue |
| 17050372 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING PATHOGEN NUCLEIC ACID LOAD TO DETERMINE WHETHER A SUBJECT HAS A CANCER CONDITION | PLAYER, ROBERT AUSTIN | 97d overdue |
| 16721619 | CELL-FREE DNA END CHARACTERISTICS | MINCHELLA, KAITLYN L | 93d overdue |
| 18628166 | Anomalous Fragment Detection and Classification | LIU, GUOZHEN | 30d overdue |
| 17845930 | METHODS OF IDENTIFYING SOMATIC MUTATIONAL SIGNATURES FOR EARLY CANCER DETECTION | LIU, GUOZHEN | 29d overdue |
| 17047676 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING TUMOR FRACTION IN CELL-FREE NUCLEIC ACID | HAYES, JONATHAN EDWARD | 19d overdue |
| 15931022 | MODEL-BASED FEATURIZATION AND CLASSIFICATION | KRIANGCHAIVECH, KETTIP | 10d overdue |
| 18661452 | SIZE-TAGGED PREFERRED ENDS AND ORIENTATION-AWARE ANALYSIS FOR MEASURING PROPERTIES OF CELL-FREE MIXTURES | LIU, GUOZHEN | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1686 | 10 |
| 1685 | 9 |
| 1687 | 6 |
| 1681 | 3 |
| 1684 | 2 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18661452 | SIZE-TAGGED PREFERRED ENDS AND ORIENTATION-AWARE ANALYSIS FOR MEASURING PROPERTIES OF CELL-FREE MIXTURES | LIU, GUOZHEN | 1686 | §101§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 10, 2024 |
| 18481322 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PERFORMING METHYLATION-BASED RISK STRATIFICATION FOR MYELODYSPLASTIC SYNDROMES | NGUYEN, PETER | 1685 | §101§102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 05, 2023 |
| 18194250 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PERFORMING ADDITIVE SMOOTHING ON LOW-COVERAGE SEQUENCING DATA FROM A NUCLEIC ACID SAMPLE | WISE, OLIVIA M. | 1685 | §101§102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 31, 2023 |
| 17884498 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR TUMOR DETECTION | LEVERETT, MARY CHANG | 1687 | §101DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 09, 2022 |
| 17817421 | SOMATIC VARIANT COOCCURRENCE WITH ABNORMALLY METHYLATED FRAGMENTS | KALLAL, ROBERT JAMES | 1685 | §101§102§103§112 | Final Rejection | 28d | Pending | Aug 04, 2022 |
| 17478856 | DETECTING CROSS-CONTAMINATION IN SEQUENCING DATA | DHARITHREESAN, NIDHI | 1686 | §101§102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 17, 2021 |
| 17374691 | NUCLEASE-ASSOCIATED END SIGNATURE ANALYSIS FOR CELL-FREE NUCLEIC ACIDS | GIAMMONA, FRANCESCA FILIPPA | 1681 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 13, 2021 |
| 17144021 | BITERMINAL DNA FRAGMENT TYPES IN CELL-FREE SAMPLES AND USES THEREOF | HAYES, JONATHAN EDWARD | 1685 | §101 | Final Rejection | 112d overdue | Pending | Jan 07, 2021 |
| 17119606 | CANCER CLASSIFICATION USING PATCH CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORKS | BAILEY, STEVEN WILLIAM | 1687 | DP | Final Rejection | 15d | Pending | Dec 11, 2020 |
| 17105175 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EVALUATING LONGITUDINAL BIOLOGICAL FEATURE DATA | AUGER, NOAH ANDREW | 1687 | §101§112 | Non-Final OA | 104d overdue | Pending | Nov 25, 2020 |
| 17047676 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING TUMOR FRACTION IN CELL-FREE NUCLEIC ACID | HAYES, JONATHAN EDWARD | 1685 | §101 | Final Rejection | 19d overdue | Pending | Oct 14, 2020 |
| 16936901 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING TUMOR FRACTION | HAYES, JONATHAN EDWARD | 1685 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 23, 2020 |
| 15931022 | MODEL-BASED FEATURIZATION AND CLASSIFICATION | KRIANGCHAIVECH, KETTIP | 1686 | §101§102§103 | Final Rejection | 10d overdue | Pending | May 13, 2020 |
| 16721619 | CELL-FREE DNA END CHARACTERISTICS | MINCHELLA, KAITLYN L | 1685 | §101§112DP | Final Rejection | 93d overdue | Pending | Dec 19, 2019 |
| 16719902 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ESTIMATING CELL SOURCE FRACTIONS USING METHYLATION INFORMATION | KRIANGCHAIVECH, KETTIP | 1686 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 18, 2019 |
| 16579805 | MIXTURE MODEL FOR TARGETED SEQUENCING | VASSELL, MEREDITH ABBOTT | 1687 | §101 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Sep 23, 2019 |
| 16402910 | SIZE-TAGGED PREFERRED ENDS AND ORIENTATION-AWARE ANALYSIS FOR MEASURING PROPERTIES OF CELL-FREE MIXTURES | LIU, GUOZHEN | 1686 | §101 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 03, 2019 |
| 16235901 | MICROSATELLITE INSTABILITY DETECTION | SCHULTZHAUS, JANNA NICOLE | 1685 | §101§112 | Non-Final OA | 5d overdue | Pending | Dec 28, 2018 |
| 18628166 | Anomalous Fragment Detection and Classification | LIU, GUOZHEN | 1686 | §101DP | Final Rejection | 30d overdue | Pending | Apr 05, 2024 |
| 18417800 | METHODS FOR ANALYSIS OF CELL-FREE NUCLEIC ACIDS IN URINE | GIAMMONA, FRANCESCA FILIPPA | 1681 | §101§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 19, 2024 |
| 18361023 | METHYLATION-BASED AGE PREDICTION AS FEATURE FOR CANCER CLASSIFICATION | BEVERIDGE, CONNOR HAMMOND | 1687 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 28, 2023 |
| 18298043 | ENRICHMENT OF MUTATED CELL FREE NUCLEIC ACIDS FOR CANCER DETECTION | ZHANG, KAIJIANG | 1684 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 10, 2023 |
| 18169834 | TUMOR FRACTION ESTIMATION USING METHYLATION VARIANTS | VASSELL, MEREDITH ABBOTT | 1687 | §101§102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 15, 2023 |
| 18147647 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING CELL TYPES | KIM, YOUNG J | 1681 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 28, 2022 |
| 17853846 | METHODS FOR ENRICHING FOR DUPLEX READS IN SEQUENCING AND ERROR CORRECTION | ZHANG, KAIJIANG | 1684 | §101§103Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 29, 2022 |
| 17845930 | METHODS OF IDENTIFYING SOMATIC MUTATIONAL SIGNATURES FOR EARLY CANCER DETECTION | LIU, GUOZHEN | 1686 | §101§112 | Non-Final OA | 29d overdue | Pending | Jun 21, 2022 |
| 17638904 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PREDICTING AND MONITORING TREATMENT RESPONSE FROM CELL-FREE NUCLEIC ACIDS | PLAYER, ROBERT AUSTIN | 1686 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Feb 28, 2022 |
| 17185885 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CALLING VARIANTS USING METHYLATION SEQUENCING DATA | DHARITHREESAN, NIDHI | 1686 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 25, 2021 |
| 17050372 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING PATHOGEN NUCLEIC ACID LOAD TO DETERMINE WHETHER A SUBJECT HAS A CANCER CONDITION | PLAYER, ROBERT AUSTIN | 1686 | §101§103§112DP | Final Rejection | 97d overdue | Pending | Oct 23, 2020 |
| 17006124 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING CONSENSUS BASE CALLS IN NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCING | MINCHELLA, KAITLYN L | 1685 | §101§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 28, 2020 |
IP Author helps IP teams respond to office actions faster with AI-generated responses, examiner analytics, and prosecution intelligence.
Start Free TrialGrail LLC has 30 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 5 art units and 18 examiners.
Guozhen Liu has the most, with 4 of Grail LLC's pending office actions.
Mostly Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals (USPTO Tech Center 1600), based on where its pending office actions are examined.
