Prosecution Insights
Prosecution Insights
Technology area: Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
42 pending office actions • 25 art units • 40 examiners • 0 of 42 (0%) have an AI response strategy ready • 46 patents granted in the last 365 days
The University of Chicago currently oversees 43 pending office actions, with a primary focus in the Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals technology area. This workload is distributed across 25 distinct art units, reflecting the diverse scientific research and development efforts of the institution. The prosecution involves 41 distinct examiners, which means the university engages with many different individuals at the patent office. The busiest examiner identified is BLEVINS, JERRY M, who handles 2 pending office actions.
This workload for the busiest examiner is small relative to the 43 total pending actions, highlighting a fragmented prosecution landscape. Navigating 25 distinct art units requires specialized expertise across various sub-sectors of Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals. With 41 distinct examiners involved, the university must adapt its legal arguments to a wide variety of individual examiner preferences and interpretations. The presence of 43 pending actions combined with the breadth of 25 art units underscores the complexity of managing this academic patent portfolio. Each of the 41 examiners provides a unique perspective on the 43 pending matters.
Based on the USPTO statutory response window for each pending office action. 14 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. 14 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 | 7 (17%) |
| §103 only | 9 (21%) |
| §102 only | 3 (7%) |
| §112 only | 3 (7%) |
| Double-patenting + other | 2 (5%) |
| Multi-statute (no §101) | 18 (43%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLEVINS, JERRY M | 2 | 87.5% | +5.0% |
| HINES, JANA A | 2 | 53.0% | +39.7% |
| SHEN, YANXIN NMN | 1 | 90.0% | +22.5% |
| SITTA, GRANT | 1 | 72.4% | +13.3% |
| MERANT, GUERRIER | 1 | 88.7% | -2.4% |
| HADDAD, MAHER M | 1 | 50.4% | +53.9% |
| CONIGLIO, AUDREA JUNE BUCKLEY | 1 | 52.9% | +21.1% |
| MCANANY, JOHN D | 1 | 67.2% | +43.7% |
| EINHORN, MICA JILLIAN | 1 | 71.4% | +40.0% |
| VU, VU A | 1 | 92.4% | +6.6% |
Cases in front of an examiner with an allow rate of 80%+ where the difficulty is Easy or Medium. The top 1 ordered by deadline are shown.
| App # | Title | Examiner | Due in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19014953 | TECHNOLOGIES FOR RESOURCE-EFFICIENT QUANTUM ERROR CORRECTION | MERANT, GUERRIER | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17833841 | INORGANIC POROUS COATINGS AND METHODS OF MAKING THE SAME | MCCLURE, CHRISTINA D | 45d overdue |
| 17987649 | Mechanism and Methods for Quantifying the Tactile Acuity of the Human Breast | MCCORMACK, ERIN KATHLEEN | 19d overdue |
| 18019972 | Pharmaceuticals for Treating or Preventing Nidoviruses and Picornaviruses | RAO, SAVITHA M | 18d overdue |
| 18266404 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING AND TREATING ORAL CAVITY SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA | BAUSCH, SARAE L | 12d |
| 18466204 | DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES | BEISNER, WILLIAM H | 41d |
| 19086929 | ENGINEERED RNA DEMETHYLASES FOR IMPROVED PLANT GROWTH | SHEN, YANXIN NMN | — |
| 18971607 | LOW-DOSE TOCILIZUMAB FOR THE TREATMENT OR PREVENTION OF SICKLE CELL CRISIS | HADDAD, MAHER M | — |
| 18867262 | VANADYL SULFATE COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS OF USE THEREFOR FOR THE TREATEMENT AND PREVENTION OF AGING-RELATED DISEASES AND CANCER | CONIGLIO, AUDREA JUNE BUCKLEY | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18425731 | PROBIOTICS TO RESCUE MATERNAL IMMUNE ACTIVATION-INDUCED NEURODEVELOPMENT DEFICITS | HINES, JANA A | 119d overdue |
| 19060948 | Lip-based user interface system | SITTA, GRANT | 56d overdue |
| 19086929 | ENGINEERED RNA DEMETHYLASES FOR IMPROVED PLANT GROWTH | SHEN, YANXIN NMN | — |
| 18971607 | LOW-DOSE TOCILIZUMAB FOR THE TREATMENT OR PREVENTION OF SICKLE CELL CRISIS | HADDAD, MAHER M | — |
| 18867262 | VANADYL SULFATE COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS OF USE THEREFOR FOR THE TREATEMENT AND PREVENTION OF AGING-RELATED DISEASES AND CANCER | CONIGLIO, AUDREA JUNE BUCKLEY | — |
| 18852916 | TRANS-VACCENIC ACID (TVA) AND DERIVATIVES THEREOF IN T CELL-BASED CANCER THERAPIES | MCANANY, JOHN D | — |
| 18852333 | OPTICAL CAVITY WITH ONE OR MORE INTRACAVITY LENSES, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS | EINHORN, MICA JILLIAN | — |
| 17517084 | TREATMENT OF CANCER BY MANIPULATION OF COMMENSAL MICROFLORA | HINES, JANA A | — |
| Art Unit | Apps |
|---|---|
| 1645 | 3 |
| 1643 | 2 |
| 2622 | 1 |
| 2111 | 1 |
| 1641 | 1 |
| 1799 | 1 |
| 1699 | 1 |
| 1654 | 1 |
| 1777 | 1 |
| 2122 | 1 |
| App # | Title | Examiner | Art Unit | Statutes | Status | Due in | AI | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19086929 | ENGINEERED RNA DEMETHYLASES FOR IMPROVED PLANT GROWTH | SHEN, YANXIN NMN | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 21, 2025 |
| 19060948 | Lip-based user interface system | SITTA, GRANT | 2622 | §103 | Final Rejection | 56d overdue | Pending | Feb 24, 2025 |
| 19014953 | TECHNOLOGIES FOR RESOURCE-EFFICIENT QUANTUM ERROR CORRECTION | MERANT, GUERRIER | 2111 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jan 09, 2025 |
| 18971607 | LOW-DOSE TOCILIZUMAB FOR THE TREATMENT OR PREVENTION OF SICKLE CELL CRISIS | HADDAD, MAHER M | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 06, 2024 |
| 18867262 | VANADYL SULFATE COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS OF USE THEREFOR FOR THE TREATEMENT AND PREVENTION OF AGING-RELATED DISEASES AND CANCER | CONIGLIO, AUDREA JUNE BUCKLEY | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 19, 2024 |
| 18852916 | TRANS-VACCENIC ACID (TVA) AND DERIVATIVES THEREOF IN T CELL-BASED CANCER THERAPIES | MCANANY, JOHN D | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 30, 2024 |
| 18852333 | OPTICAL CAVITY WITH ONE OR MORE INTRACAVITY LENSES, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS | EINHORN, MICA JILLIAN | — | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 27, 2024 |
| 18846591 | STRETCHABLE LIGHT-EMITTING POLYMERS | VU, VU A | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Sep 12, 2024 |
| 18799797 | WAFER-SCALE WAVEGUIDES FOR INTEGRATED TWO-DIMENSIONAL PHOTONICS | BLEVINS, JERRY M | — | §101§102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 09, 2024 |
| 18798493 | WAFER-SCALE WAVEGUIDES FOR INTEGRATED TWO-DIMENSIONAL PHOTONICS | BLEVINS, JERRY M | — | §101§102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Aug 08, 2024 |
| 18723099 | METHODS FOR DETECTING OR TREATING INFLUENZA INFECTIONS | BOESEN, AGNIESZKA | — | §112DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jun 21, 2024 |
| 18708530 | METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR PKC-DELTA INHIBITION AND CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY | JACKSON-TONGUE, LAKIA J | 1645 | §102§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 08, 2024 |
| 18694220 | UNIVERSAL HAIRPIN PRIMER SYSTEM FOR QUANTIFICATION OF MICRORNA | CHUNDURU, SURYAPRABHA | — | §102 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 21, 2024 |
| 18684935 | QUANTUM DATA CENTER | SMITH, KEVIN LEE | — | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 20, 2024 |
| 18425731 | PROBIOTICS TO RESCUE MATERNAL IMMUNE ACTIVATION-INDUCED NEURODEVELOPMENT DEFICITS | HINES, JANA A | 1645 | §102 | Non-Final OA | 119d overdue | Pending | Jan 29, 2024 |
| 18579702 | BIOCOMPATIBLE SURFACE FOR QUANTUM SENSING AND METHODS THEREOF | RAMADAN, OMAR | — | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 16, 2024 |
| 18558527 | METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR TARGETING OF ANTIGENS AND OTHER POLYPEPTIDES TO FIRST RESPONDER DENDRITIC CELLS | CESARE, JOSEPH DAVID | 1641 | §102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 01, 2023 |
| 18466204 | DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES | BEISNER, WILLIAM H | 1799 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | 41d | Pending | Sep 13, 2023 |
| 18266404 | COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING AND TREATING ORAL CAVITY SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA | BAUSCH, SARAE L | 1699 | §101§102§103DP | Final Rejection | 12d | Pending | Jun 10, 2023 |
| 18038633 | SYNTHETIC DNA BINDING DOMAINS AND USES THEREOF | SABILA, MERCY HELLEN | 1654 | §102§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 24, 2023 |
| 18254301 | POROUS AND MONOLITHIC CARBON MEMBRANES AND THEIR USE | HUANG, RYAN | 1777 | §103 | Final Rejection | 30d | Pending | May 24, 2023 |
| 18036528 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR GENOMIC BASED PREDICTION OF VIRUS MUTATION | SABOUR, GHAZAL | — | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | May 11, 2023 |
| 18191495 | SLIDE-LEVEL UNCERTAINTY QUANTIFICATION FOR DEEP LEARNING PREDICTIONS IN DIGITAL HISTOPATHOLOGY | AUGER, NOAH ANDREW | 2122 | §101§102§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 28, 2023 |
| 18042958 | Nucleic Acid-Derivatized Therapeutics | VAN DRUFF, SYDNEY | 1643 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Feb 24, 2023 |
| 18022004 | MODIFIED SERINE PROTEASE PROPROTEINS | ARMATO JR, DENNIS IGNATIUS | 1651 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 15d overdue | Pending | Feb 17, 2023 |
| 18019972 | Pharmaceuticals for Treating or Preventing Nidoviruses and Picornaviruses | RAO, SAVITHA M | 1691 | §102§112 | Final Rejection | 18d overdue | Pending | Feb 06, 2023 |
| 18006482 | Inhibitors of the Artemin Pathway for Treatment of Cancer | WEBB, WALTER E | 1612 | §103 | Final Rejection | 20d | Pending | Jan 23, 2023 |
| 18156254 | Classical Algorithm for Generating Multi-Mode Bosonic Transition Spectra by Phase Space Sampling | FUELLING, MICHAEL | 2199 | §101§103 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Jan 18, 2023 |
| 17927168 | METAL-ORGANIC FRAMEWORKS DELIVER SMALL MOLECULES AND BIOMACROMOLECULES FOR CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY | WORSHAM, JESSICA N | 1615 | §102§103DP | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 22, 2022 |
| 17987649 | Mechanism and Methods for Quantifying the Tactile Acuity of the Human Breast | MCCORMACK, ERIN KATHLEEN | 3791 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | 19d overdue | Pending | Nov 15, 2022 |
| 18052449 | PRODRUG COPOLYMERS AND POLYMERIC MICELLES THEREOF FOR THE DELIVERY OF SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS, THE PROMOTION OF GUT HEALTH, AND THE TREATMENT OF IMMUNE AND/OR INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS AND FOOD ALLERGY | PECKHAM, RICHARD GRANT | 1627 | §112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Nov 03, 2022 |
| 17995225 | TOCILIZUMAB FOR THE TREATMENT OF VIRAL INFECTIONS | NICKOL, GARY B | 1643 | §102 | Non-Final OA | 146d overdue | Pending | Sep 30, 2022 |
| 17833841 | INORGANIC POROUS COATINGS AND METHODS OF MAKING THE SAME | MCCLURE, CHRISTINA D | 1718 | §103§112 | Final Rejection | 45d overdue | Pending | Jun 06, 2022 |
| 17763445 | METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR TREATING SICKLE CELL DISEASE AND THALASSEMIA | MAHLUM, JONATHAN DAVIS | 1625 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 88d overdue | Pending | Mar 24, 2022 |
| 17762180 | PHOTOPROXIMITY PROFILING OF PROTEIN-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS IN CELLS | HAQ, SHAFIQUL | 1678 | §103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Mar 21, 2022 |
| 17596118 | METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR TREATING CANCER WITH COLLAGEN BINDING DRUG CARRIERS | ALSOMAIRY, SARAH ABDOALATIF | 1646 | §103 | Non-Final OA | 8d overdue | Pending | Dec 03, 2021 |
| 17517084 | TREATMENT OF CANCER BY MANIPULATION OF COMMENSAL MICROFLORA | HINES, JANA A | 1645 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Nov 02, 2021 |
| 17309936 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MODULATING RNA | RAVINDRA, KRISHNA NUGGEHALLI | 1636 | §102§103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jul 01, 2021 |
| 17337610 | METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING AN NFKB INHIBITOR AND AN ADJUVANT | BABSON, NICOLE PLOURDE | 1619 | §103 | Final Rejection | — | Pending | Jun 03, 2021 |
| 16713657 | COMPOSITION AND METHODS RELATED TO MODIFICATION OF 5 HYDROXYMETHYLCYTOSINE (5-hmC) | CROW, ROBERT THOMAS | 1682 | §112Other | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Dec 13, 2019 |
| 18236022 | BIOMARKERS OF RISK FOR INFECTION | GREENE, CAROLYN LEE | 1681 | §112 | Non-Final OA | 34d | Pending | Aug 21, 2023 |
| 18176375 | SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM FOR AUTO-REGRESSIVE WAVENET VARIATIONAL AUTOENCODERS FOR ALIGNMENT-FREE GENERATIVE PROTEIN DESIGN AND FITNESS PREDICTION | ELKINS, BLAKE HARRISON | — | §101§103§112 | Non-Final OA | — | Pending | Feb 28, 2023 |
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