Technology area: Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
124 pending office actions • 31 art units • 86 examiners • 0 of 124 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 129 patents granted in the last 365 days
Illumina Inc. has 123 pending office actions in Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals. The matters involve 86 examiners across 30 art units, creating a broad prosecution network that spans many examination assignments and technical groupings.
POHNERT, STEVEN C is the busiest examiner, with 7 pending matters. That concentration is material within the profile, but the wider distribution means counsel should combine examiner-specific analysis with art-unit coordination, standardized issue tracking, and disciplined response management.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 23 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. 23 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 | 5 (4%) |
| §101 + other | 33 (27%) |
| §103 only | 28 (23%) |
| §102 only | 7 (6%) |
| §112 only | 7 (6%) |
| Double-patenting only | 1 (1%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 7 (6%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 35 (28%) |
| No statute on record | 1 (1%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| POHNERT, STEVEN C | 6 | 12.5% | +18.2% |
| CROW, ROBERT THOMAS | 6 | 41.6% | +32.5% |
| YOUNG, BRIAN ELLIS | 3 | 65.0% | +28.3% |
| JONES, CHRISTINE MICHELLE | 3 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| SCHULTZHAUS, JANNA NICOLE | 3 | 35.4% | +38.2% |
| PLAYER, ROBERT AUSTIN | 3 | 13.6% | +34.1% |
| WOITACH, JOSEPH T | 3 | 49.5% | +27.4% |
| WILDER, CYNTHIA B | 2 | 70.8% | +27.0% |
| MUI, CHRISTINE T | 2 | 78.4% | +19.8% |
| RILEY, JEZIA | 2 | 83.0% | +7.2% |
Cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate of 80%+ where the difficulty is Easy or Medium. The top 2 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18650800 | CONTROLLED POLYNUCLEOTIDE TRANSLOCATION IN NANOPORE SEQUENCING | RILEY, JEZIA | — |
| 18393291 | METHODS OF SEQUENCING USING 3' BLOCKED NUCLEOTIDES | RILEY, JEZIA | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17250814 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MONITORING ORGAN HEALTH AND DISEASE | BAILEY, STEVEN WILLIAM | 45d overdue |
| 18300343 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCING DATA | LIU, GUOZHEN | 18d overdue |
| 18534113 | FLOW CELLS AND SEQUENCING KITS | JONES, CHRISTINE MICHELLE | 4d overdue |
| 18129565 | MACHINE LEARNING MODELING OF PROBE INTENSITY | RODEN, DONALD THOMAS | 3d overdue |
| 17805138 | SIGNAL-TO-NOISE-RATIO METRIC FOR DETERMINING NUCLEOTIDE-BASE CALLS AND BASE-CALL QUALITY | KALLAL, ROBERT JAMES | 12d |
| 17813852 | METHODS FOR PREPARING SUBSTRATE SURFACE FOR DNA SEQUENCING | RAYMONDA, MATTHEW HAROLD | 27d |
| 18215641 | NON-CONTACT DISPENSERS AND RELATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS | LYLE, SOPHIA YUAN | 34d |
| 18987285 | SEQUENCE DATA PROCESSING, RETENTION, AND RECOVERY | HU, JENSEN | 35d |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18176761 | FUNCTIONALIZED NANOSTRUCTURES AND FLOW CELL DEPRESSIONS | CROW, ROBERT THOMAS | 24d overdue |
| 17518135 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MAKING SEQUENCING LIBRARIES | YOUNG, BRIAN ELLIS | 3d overdue |
| 18885481 | METHODS OF PREPARING LOOP FORK LIBRARIES | YOUNG, BRIAN ELLIS | 15d |
| 17618836 | METHODS FOR SEQUENCING POLYNUCLEOTIDES | WILDER, CYNTHIA B | 19d |
| 18467770 | NANOPARTICLE WITH POLYNUCLEOTIDE BINDING SITE AND METHOD OF MAKING THEREOF | CROW, ROBERT THOMAS | 29d |
| 18343696 | SEQUENCING NANOPARTICLES AND METHODS OF MAKING THE SAME | CROW, ROBERT THOMAS | 34d |
| 18164341 | Microfluidic Droplet Generators | CROW, ROBERT THOMAS | 34d |
| 18760831 | Anodized Metal Oxide Substrates Supporting Solid Support Feature Arrays for Patterned Flowcells | WILDER, CYNTHIA B | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1683 | 15 |
| 1684 | 13 |
| 1682 | 13 |
| 1687 | 12 |
| 1681 | 11 |
| 1685 | 10 |
| 1798 | 8 |
| 1686 | 7 |
| 2877 | 4 |
| 1797 | 3 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18987285 | SEQUENCE DATA PROCESSING, RETENTION, AND RECOVERY | HU, JENSEN | 2169 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | 35d | Pending | Dec 19, 2024 |
| 18949085 | MULTI-VERSION PROCESSING USING A MONITOR SUBSYSTEM | GEORGANDELLIS, ANDREW C | 2459 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 15, 2024 |
| 18939115 | AUTOFOCUS FUNCTIONALITY IN OPTICAL SAMPLE ANALYSIS | AMARA, MOHAMED K | 2877 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 06, 2024 |
| 18921425 | DYNAMIC AUTOFOCUS METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ASSAY IMAGER | BRYANT, REBECCA CAROLE | 2877 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Oct 21, 2024 |
| 18885481 | METHODS OF PREPARING LOOP FORK LIBRARIES | YOUNG, BRIAN ELLIS | 1684 | §103 | Final Rejection | 15d | Pending | Sep 13, 2024 |
| 18818453 | ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE-BASED QUALITY SCORING | BHATNAGAR, ANAND P | 2668 | §101§102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 28, 2024 |
| 18808889 | SYSTEMS AND DEVICES FOR SIGNAL CORRECTIONS IN SEQUENCING | LEMIEUX, IAN L | — | §112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Aug 19, 2024 |
| 18795995 | VALVE ASSEMBLIES AND RELATED SYSTEMS | GZYBOWSKI, MICHAEL STANLEY | 1798 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 06, 2024 |
| 18760831 | Anodized Metal Oxide Substrates Supporting Solid Support Feature Arrays for Patterned Flowcells | WILDER, CYNTHIA B | 1681 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 01, 2024 |
| 18725694 | IMAGING SYSTEMS AND RELATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS | PEREZ-GUZMAN, CARLOS GABRIEL | 2877 | §103 | Final Rejection | 60d overdue | Pending | Jun 28, 2024 |
| 18759367 | SYSTEMS AND RELATED REAGENT CARTRIDGE QUEUING METHODS | WRIGHT, PATRICIA KATHRYN | 1798 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 28, 2024 |
| 18758066 | PROTECTING FULLY FUNCTIONAL NUCLEOTIDES FROM DEGRADATION | POHNERT, STEVEN C | 1683 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 28, 2024 |
| 18737223 | METHOD FOR POLISHING A SUBSTRATE | ISHAQ, ISHAQ MOHAMED SAID | 3723 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 07, 2024 |
| 18732450 | MULTI-VALVE FLUID CARTRIDGE | MUI, CHRISTINE T | 1797 | §102Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 03, 2024 |
| 18664102 | DIGITAL MICROFLUIDIC SYSTEM FOR SINGLE-CELL ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ANALYTES | TSUI, YUNG-SHENG M | 1684 | §102§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 14, 2024 |
| 18650800 | CONTROLLED POLYNUCLEOTIDE TRANSLOCATION IN NANOPORE SEQUENCING | RILEY, JEZIA | 1681 | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 30, 2024 |
| 18633966 | CAPTURING AND AMPLIFYING POLYNUCLEOTIDES | CHUNDURU, SURYAPRABHA | 1681 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 12, 2024 |
| 18618263 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCING | CROW, ROBERT THOMAS | 1683 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 27, 2024 |
| 18420482 | INFERRING MICROORGANISM OF ORIGIN FOR ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE MARKERS IN TARGETED METAGENOMICS | MYERS, CARLA J | 1671 | §101§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 23, 2024 |
| 18403902 | MULTI-OMIC ANALYSIS IN MONODISPERSE DROPLETS | KAPUSHOC, STEPHEN THOMAS | 1683 | §102§103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 04, 2024 |
| 18575205 | A CIRCUIT DESIGN TO MEASURE SMALL CURRENT VARIATION IN NANOPORE SEQUENCING | BENZION, GARY | 1681 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 28, 2023 |
| 18575242 | ANALOG CIRCUIT TO COMPENSATE BIAS OFFSET IN AMPLIFIER ARRAY | SALMON, KATHERINE D | 1682 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 28, 2023 |
| 18575254 | NANOPORE SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF FABRICATION | KAUR, GURPREET | 1759 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 28, 2023 |
| 18575265 | DNA ORIGAMI STRUCTURE AND PROTEIN NANOPORE CONSTRUCT | STAVROU, CONSTANTINA E | 1632 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 28, 2023 |
| 18392547 | METHODS OF SEQUENCING USING 3' ALLYL BLOCKED NUCLEOTIDES | YOUNG, BRIAN ELLIS | 1684 | §101§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 21, 2023 |
| 18392826 | DETECTION OF ANALYTES USING TARGETED EPIGENETIC ASSAYS, PROXIMITY-INDUCED TAGMENTATION, STRAND INVASION, RESTRICTION, OR LIGATION | SWITZER, JULIET CAROLINE | 1682 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 21, 2023 |
| 18572788 | Well Assemblies and Related Systems and Methods | KRCHA, MATTHEW D | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 21, 2023 |
| 18393291 | METHODS OF SEQUENCING USING 3' BLOCKED NUCLEOTIDES | RILEY, JEZIA | 1681 | DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 21, 2023 |
| 18389877 | MULTI-SURFACE BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE IMAGING SYSTEM AND METHOD | CROW, ROBERT THOMAS | 1683 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 20, 2023 |
| 18572189 | IMAGING SYSTEMS AND RELATED METHODS | PHILLIPS, RUFUS L | 2877 | §103 | Final Rejection | 76d | Pending | Dec 20, 2023 |
| 18390578 | PALLADIUM CATALYST COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR SEQUENCING BY SYNTHESIS | BELLAH, JEFFREY LAWRENCE | 1683 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 20, 2023 |
| 18571069 | APTAMER DYNAMIC RANGE COMPRESSION AND DETECTION TECHNIQUES | PHAM, KHAI QUYNH TIEN | 1682 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 15, 2023 |
| 18542447 | FLOW CELLS | KASS, BENJAMIN JOSEPH | 1798 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 15, 2023 |
| 18542470 | FLOW CELLS | BOWERS, NATHAN ANDREW | 1799 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 15, 2023 |
| 18538441 | Reusable Flow Cells Having Primer Binding Sites Comprising Reactive Sulfur Moieties and Methods of Using the Same, and Reagents for Use Therewith | KOVACH, KARA NICOLE | 1681 | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 13, 2023 |
| 18538262 | ALTERED CYTIDINE DEAMINASES AND METHODS OF USE | HUTSON, RICHARD G | 1652 | §103 | Final Rejection | 53d | Pending | Dec 13, 2023 |
| 18569421 | CHARACTERIZING ANALYTES IN A SAMPLE USING NORMALIZED SIGNALS | CRAWLEY, TALIA F | — | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 12, 2023 |
| 18535492 | AUTOMATED VOLUMETRIC REAGENT DELIVERY TESTING | WHATLEY, BENJAMIN R | 1798 | §101§102§103§112DPOther | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 11, 2023 |
| 18568366 | DETECTING METHYLCYTOSINE USING A MODIFIED BASE OPPOSITE TO THE METHYLCYTOSINE | SALMON, KATHERINE D | 1682 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 08, 2023 |
| 18534113 | FLOW CELLS AND SEQUENCING KITS | JONES, CHRISTINE MICHELLE | 1682 | §103§112DP | Final Rejection | 4d overdue | Pending | Dec 08, 2023 |
| 18568756 | PERIODATE COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR CHEMICAL CLEAVAGE OF SURFACE-BOUND POLYNUCLEOTIDES | MARTIN, KEVIN STEPHEN | 1681 | §112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 08, 2023 |
| 18567989 | ORTHOGONAL HYBRIDIZATION | PARISI, JESSICA DANIELLE | 1682 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 07, 2023 |
| 18567697 | METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR COMBINATORIAL INDEXING OF BEAD-BASED NUCLEIC ACIDS | RAYMONDA, MATTHEW HAROLD | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 06, 2023 |
| 18530865 | NUCLEOSIDES AND NUCLEOTIDES WITH 3' BLOCKING GROUPS AND CLEAVABLE LINKERS | CRAIGO, BAHAR ALAWI | 1699 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 06, 2023 |
| 18530025 | ETCH-FREE PHOTORESIST PATTERNING IN MULTI-DEPTH NANOWELLS | GORDON, BRIAN R | 1798 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 05, 2023 |
| 18566369 | IDENTIFYING NUCLEOTIDES USING CHANGES IN IMPEDANCE BETWEEN ELECTRODES | GRAY, JESSICA | 1682 | §101§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 01, 2023 |
| 18523636 | FLOW CELLS WITH PASSIVATION COMPONENTS | ALABI, OYELEYE A | 1797 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 29, 2023 |
| 18515013 | REVERSIBLY CROSS-LINKED HYDROGELS, AND METHODS OF USING THE SAME FOR CLUSTER AMPLIFICATION | YU, TIAN NMN | 1681 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 20, 2023 |
| 18562095 | OLIGO-MODIFIED NUCLEOTIDE ANALOGUES FOR NUCLEIC ACID PREPARATION | VANHORN, ABIGAIL LOUISE | 1636 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 17, 2023 |
| 18507414 | DESIGNING PROBES FOR DEPLETING ABUNDANT TRANSCRIPTS | POHNERT, STEVEN C | 1683 | §101§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 13, 2023 |
IP Author helps IP teams respond to office actions faster with AI-generated responses, examiner analytics, and prosecution intelligence.
Start Free TrialIllumina Inc. has 124 pending office actions as of October 2026, spread across 31 art units and 86 examiners.
Steven C Pohnert has the most, with 6 of Illumina Inc.'s pending office actions.
Mostly Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals (USPTO Tech Center 1600), based on where its pending office actions are examined.
