Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology area: Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
28 pending office actions • 16 art units • 24 examiners • 0 of 28 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 22 patents granted in the last 365 days
ModernaTX Inc. has 27 pending office actions in the Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals technology area. These actions are handled by 23 distinct examiners, showing very little examiner overlap within the current pending set. The portfolio is spread across 15 distinct art units, which suggests a high degree of technical specialization for each application.
GILL, RACHEL B is the busiest examiner for the company, currently responsible for 2 pending office actions. With 27 total pending office actions and 23 distinct examiners, the company rarely has the opportunity to apply lessons learned from one examiner to another pending case. The involvement of 15 distinct art units indicates that Moderna's biotechnological work is diverse and touches many different specialized groups at the USPTO. This requires the prosecution team to navigate 23 different examiner perspectives across 15 specialized divisions, necessitating a highly tailored approach for each filing in the biotechnology sector.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 10 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. 10 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 + other | 2 (7%) |
| §103 only | 6 (21%) |
| §102 only | 1 (4%) |
| §112 only | 1 (4%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 12 (43%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 5 (18%) |
| No statute on record | 1 (4%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GILL, RACHEL B | 2 | 65.6% | +28.3% |
| RYAN, DOUGLAS CHARLES | 2 | 39.2% | +47.6% |
| ALAM, DANYAL HASSAN | 2 | 66.7% | +0.0% |
| LARA, CAROLINE MONSERRAT | 2 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| KINSEY WHITE, NICOLE ERIN | 1 | 58.1% | +16.4% |
| FALKOWITZ, ANNA R | 1 | 55.7% | +45.3% |
| WHITE, ASHLEY TAYLOR | 1 | 25.0% | +46.7% |
| SHIN, DANA H | 1 | 27.0% | +27.0% |
| WERTZ, ASHLEE ELIZABETH | 1 | 52.9% | +42.1% |
| KIEFER, DALTON EDWARD | 1 | 83.3% | +0.0% |
Cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate of 80%+ where the difficulty is Easy or Medium. The top 3 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17925125 | RNA FORMULATIONS FOR HIGH VOLUME DISTRIBUTION, AND METHODS OF USING THE SAME FOR TREATING COVID-19 | LARA, CAROLINE MONSERRAT | 22d overdue |
| 17925114 | RNA FORMULATIONS FOR HIGH VOLUME DISTRIBUTION | LARA, CAROLINE MONSERRAT | 16d overdue |
| 18572490 | POLYNUCLEOTIDES ENCODING URIDINE DIPHOSPHATE GLYCOSYLTRANSFERASE 1 FAMILY, POLYPEPTIDE A1 FOR THE TREATMENT OF CRIGLER-NAJJAR SYNDROME | KIEFER, DALTON EDWARD | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18012094 | LNP COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING MRNA THERAPEUTICS WITH EXTENDED HALF-LIFE | RYAN, DOUGLAS CHARLES | 16d overdue |
| 18812841 | HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS RNA VACCINES | GILL, RACHEL B | — |
| 18702280 | CUSTOM BACTERIAL STRAIN FOR RECOMBINANT PROTEIN PRODUCTION | WHITE, ASHLEY TAYLOR | — |
| 18592122 | MODIFIED POLYNUCLEOTIDES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ONCOLOGY-RELATED PROTEINS AND PEPTIDES | SHIN, DANA H | — |
| 18569776 | CORONAVIRUS GLYCOSYLATION VARIANT VACCINES | SIFFORD, JEFFREY MARK | — |
| 18284938 | METHODS FOR IDENTIFICATION AND RATIO DETERMINATION OF RNA SPECIES IN MULTIVALENT RNA COMPOSITIONS | BROWN, MINDY G | — |
| 18551704 | BRANCHED TAIL LIPID COMPOUNDS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR INTRACELLULAR DELIVERY OF THERAPEUTIC AGENTS | CARR, DEBORAH D | — |
| 18272512 | VARIANT STRAIN-BASED CORONAVIRUS VACCINES | CHEN, STACY BROWN | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18012094 | LNP COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING MRNA THERAPEUTICS WITH EXTENDED HALF-LIFE | RYAN, DOUGLAS CHARLES | 16d overdue |
| 18291707 | PROCESSES FOR PREPARING LIPID NANOPARTICLE COMPOSITIONS | WERTZ, ASHLEE ELIZABETH | 34d |
| 19410723 | BETACORONAVIRUS mRNA VACCINES | KINSEY WHITE, NICOLE ERIN | — |
| 18812841 | HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS RNA VACCINES | GILL, RACHEL B | — |
| 18796754 | RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS VACCINE | GILL, RACHEL B | — |
| 18836530 | MUCOSAL ADMINISTRATION METHODS AND FORMULATIONS | FALKOWITZ, ANNA R | — |
| 18702280 | CUSTOM BACTERIAL STRAIN FOR RECOMBINANT PROTEIN PRODUCTION | WHITE, ASHLEY TAYLOR | — |
| 18592122 | MODIFIED POLYNUCLEOTIDES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ONCOLOGY-RELATED PROTEINS AND PEPTIDES | SHIN, DANA H | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1672 | 5 |
| 1612 | 2 |
| 1652 | 2 |
| 1671 | 2 |
| 1633 | 2 |
| 1600 | 1 |
| 1653 | 1 |
| 1683 | 1 |
| 1691 | 1 |
| 1614 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19410723 | BETACORONAVIRUS mRNA VACCINES | KINSEY WHITE, NICOLE ERIN | 1672 | §112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Dec 05, 2025 |
| 18812841 | HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS RNA VACCINES | GILL, RACHEL B | — | §102§103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 22, 2024 |
| 18796754 | RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS VACCINE | GILL, RACHEL B | — | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 07, 2024 |
| 18836530 | MUCOSAL ADMINISTRATION METHODS AND FORMULATIONS | FALKOWITZ, ANNA R | 1600 | §103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 07, 2024 |
| 18702280 | CUSTOM BACTERIAL STRAIN FOR RECOMBINANT PROTEIN PRODUCTION | WHITE, ASHLEY TAYLOR | 1653 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Apr 17, 2024 |
| 18592122 | MODIFIED POLYNUCLEOTIDES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ONCOLOGY-RELATED PROTEINS AND PEPTIDES | SHIN, DANA H | — | §112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 29, 2024 |
| 18291707 | PROCESSES FOR PREPARING LIPID NANOPARTICLE COMPOSITIONS | WERTZ, ASHLEE ELIZABETH | 1612 | §103DP | Final Rejection | 34d | Pending | Jan 24, 2024 |
| 18578052 | POLYNUCLEOTIDES ENCODING PROPIONYL-COA CARBOXYLASE ALPHA AND BETA SUBUNITS FOR THE TREATMENT OF PROPIONIC ACIDEMIA | RYAN, DOUGLAS CHARLES | — | §102§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 10, 2024 |
| 18572490 | POLYNUCLEOTIDES ENCODING URIDINE DIPHOSPHATE GLYCOSYLTRANSFERASE 1 FAMILY, POLYPEPTIDE A1 FOR THE TREATMENT OF CRIGLER-NAJJAR SYNDROME | KIEFER, DALTON EDWARD | 1652 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 20, 2023 |
| 18569776 | CORONAVIRUS GLYCOSYLATION VARIANT VACCINES | SIFFORD, JEFFREY MARK | 1671 | §102§103§112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 13, 2023 |
| 18555087 | RESPIRATORY VIRUS COMBINATION VACCINES | ALAM, DANYAL HASSAN | 1672 | §103§112DP | Final Rejection | 9d overdue | Pending | Oct 12, 2023 |
| 18555130 | INFLUENZA-CORONAVIRUS COMBINATION VACCINES | ALAM, DANYAL HASSAN | 1672 | §103§112DP | Final Rejection | 5d overdue | Pending | Oct 12, 2023 |
| 18284938 | METHODS FOR IDENTIFICATION AND RATIO DETERMINATION OF RNA SPECIES IN MULTIVALENT RNA COMPOSITIONS | BROWN, MINDY G | 1683 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 29, 2023 |
| 18551704 | BRANCHED TAIL LIPID COMPOUNDS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR INTRACELLULAR DELIVERY OF THERAPEUTIC AGENTS | CARR, DEBORAH D | 1691 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 21, 2023 |
| 18282676 | POLYNUCLEOTIDES ENCODING METHYLMALONYL-COA MUTASE FOR THE TREATMENT OF METHYLMALONIC ACIDEMIA | DUNSTON, JENNIFER ANN | 1614 | §103§112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 18, 2023 |
| 18280362 | VLP ENTEROVIRAL VACCINES | BOESEN, AGNIESZKA | 1672 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 05, 2023 |
| 17928680 | PHENYLALANINE HYDROXYLASE VARIANTS AND USES THEREOF | PAK, YONG D | 1652 | §102§103DPOther | Non-Final OA | 75d | Pending | Jul 18, 2023 |
| 18272512 | VARIANT STRAIN-BASED CORONAVIRUS VACCINES | CHEN, STACY BROWN | 1672 | §101§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jul 14, 2023 |
| 18314980 | RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS VACCINE | HILL, MYRON G | 1671 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 72d overdue | Pending | May 10, 2023 |
| 18177455 | MODIFIED NUCLEOSIDE, NUCLEOTIDE, AND NUCLEIC ACID COMPOSITIONS | LEONARD, ARTHUR S | 1631 | §103§112DPOther | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 02, 2023 |
| 18040745 | METHODS OF PREPARING LIPID NANOPARTICLES | SHOMER, ISAAC | 1612 | §103DP | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Feb 06, 2023 |
| 18012094 | LNP COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING MRNA THERAPEUTICS WITH EXTENDED HALF-LIFE | RYAN, DOUGLAS CHARLES | 1635 | §101§102§112DP | Final Rejection | 16d overdue | Pending | Dec 21, 2022 |
| 18008139 | BACTERIAL STRAINS FOR DNA PRODUCTION | TINSLEY, BRENDAN THOMAS | 1634 | §102 | Final Rejection | 1d overdue | Pending | Dec 02, 2022 |
| 17925125 | RNA FORMULATIONS FOR HIGH VOLUME DISTRIBUTION, AND METHODS OF USING THE SAME FOR TREATING COVID-19 | LARA, CAROLINE MONSERRAT | 1633 | §103 | Final Rejection | 22d overdue | Pending | Nov 14, 2022 |
| 17925114 | RNA FORMULATIONS FOR HIGH VOLUME DISTRIBUTION | LARA, CAROLINE MONSERRAT | 1633 | §103 | Final Rejection | 16d overdue | Pending | Nov 14, 2022 |
| 17792554 | METHODS OF PREPARING LIPID NANOPARTICLES | NGUYEN, NGOC-ANH THI | 1615 | §103 | Final Rejection | 30d | Pending | Jul 13, 2022 |
| 17761420 | CAP GUIDES AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF FOR RNA MAPPING | QIAN, CELINE X | 1637 | §103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 17, 2022 |
| 17277829 | STEROL ANALOGS AND USES THEREOF | MCDOWELL, BRIAN E | 1624 | Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 19, 2021 |
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