Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology area: Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
30 pending office actions • 7 art units • 22 examiners • 0 of 30 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 11 patents granted in the last 365 days
Grail LLC currently has 30 pending office actions in the Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals technology area. Prosecution is spread across 22 distinct examiners and 7 distinct art units. This distribution indicates that while many examiners are involved, several are likely handling multiple applications, as the number of actions exceeds the number of examiners. The concentration of 30 actions within 7 distinct art units suggests a focused but high-volume presence in specific pharmaceutical sub-sectors.
LIU, GUOZHEN is the busiest examiner for this portfolio, managing 2 pending office actions. Practitioners should prepare for a complex prosecution environment where 22 different examiners may apply varying interpretations of biotechnology patent law. The fact that 30 pending office actions are being processed by 22 distinct examiners means the company must maintain consistency across a large team of reviewers. Managing 7 distinct art units also requires familiarity with the specific administrative nuances of each group.
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 | 2 (7%) |
| §101 + other | 21 (70%) |
| §102 only | 1 (3%) |
| Double-patenting only | 1 (3%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 5 (17%) |
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 | 2 | 48.5% | +25.4% |
| DHARITHREESAN, NIDHI | 2 | 39.6% | +36.0% |
| GIAMMONA, FRANCESCA FILIPPA | 2 | 37.5% | +57.4% |
| HAYES, JONATHAN EDWARD | 2 | 36.4% | +20.7% |
| MINCHELLA, KAITLYN L | 2 | 26.7% | +21.8% |
| VASSELL, MEREDITH ABBOTT | 2 | 30.3% | +47.0% |
| ZHANG, KAIJIANG | 2 | 77.1% | +34.4% |
| PLAYER, ROBERT AUSTIN | 2 | 14.3% | +33.8% |
| NGUYEN, PETER | 1 | — | — |
| SALMON, KATHERINE D | 1 | 42.8% | +37.9% |
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 |
| 18267769 | PREPARATION OF NUCLEIC ACID SAMPLES FOR SEQUENCING | WILDER, CYNTHIA B | 49d overdue |
| 18628166 | Anomalous Fragment Detection and Classification | LIU, GUOZHEN | 30d overdue |
| 16235901 | MICROSATELLITE INSTABILITY DETECTION | SCHULTZHAUS, JANNA NICOLE | 5d overdue |
| 18011145 | METHYLATED DNA FRAGMENT ENRICHMENT, METHODS, COMPOSITIONS AND KITS | SALMON, KATHERINE D | 23d |
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 |
| 18011145 | METHYLATED DNA FRAGMENT ENRICHMENT, METHODS, COMPOSITIONS AND KITS | SALMON, KATHERINE D | 23d |
| 18661452 | SIZE-TAGGED PREFERRED ENDS AND ORIENTATION-AWARE ANALYSIS FOR MEASURING PROPERTIES OF CELL-FREE MIXTURES | LIU, GUOZHEN | — |
| 17478856 | DETECTING CROSS-CONTAMINATION IN SEQUENCING DATA | DHARITHREESAN, NIDHI | — |
| 17374691 | NUCLEASE-ASSOCIATED END SIGNATURE ANALYSIS FOR CELL-FREE NUCLEIC ACIDS | GIAMMONA, FRANCESCA FILIPPA | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1686 | 8 |
| 1681 | 5 |
| 1685 | 5 |
| 1687 | 3 |
| 1682 | 2 |
| 1683 | 1 |
| 1684 | 1 |
| 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 | — | §101§102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Oct 05, 2023 |
| 18011145 | METHYLATED DNA FRAGMENT ENRICHMENT, METHODS, COMPOSITIONS AND KITS | SALMON, KATHERINE D | 1682 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 23d | Pending | Dec 16, 2022 |
| 17957643 | SEQUENCING OF VIRAL DNA FOR PREDICTING DISEASE RELAPSE | SCHLOOP, ALLISON ELIZABETH | 1683 | §101§103Other | Final Rejection | 30d | Pending | Sep 30, 2022 |
| 17884498 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR TUMOR DETECTION | LEVERETT, MARY CHANG | — | §101DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 09, 2022 |
| 17860577 | ANALYSIS OF MICROBIAL FRAGMENTS IN PLASMA | PRIEST, AARON A | 1681 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 08, 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 |
| 16936901 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING TUMOR FRACTION | HAYES, JONATHAN EDWARD | 1685 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 23, 2020 |
| 16723369 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING FRAGMENT LENGTHS AS A PREDICTOR OF CANCER | SABOUR, GHAZAL | 1686 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 20, 2019 |
| 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 |
| 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 | — | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 28, 2023 |
| 18267769 | PREPARATION OF NUCLEIC ACID SAMPLES FOR SEQUENCING | WILDER, CYNTHIA B | 1681 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | 49d overdue | Pending | Jun 15, 2023 |
| 18298043 | ENRICHMENT OF MUTATED CELL FREE NUCLEIC ACIDS FOR CANCER DETECTION | ZHANG, KAIJIANG | — | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 10, 2023 |
| 18169834 | TUMOR FRACTION ESTIMATION USING METHYLATION VARIANTS | VASSELL, MEREDITH ABBOTT | — | §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 |
| 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 |
| 17384241 | DETECTING CANCER, CANCER TISSUE OF ORIGIN, AND/OR A CANCER CELL TYPE | BUCHANAN, BAILEY CHEYENNE | 1682 | §101§103§112Other | Final Rejection | 23d | Pending | Jul 23, 2021 |
| 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§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 28, 2020 |
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