Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 25, 2026

USPTO Art Unit 1617: Examiners and Allowance Rates

46 examiners • 13 with pending office actions • Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals (Tech Center 1600)

Art unit baseline (last 5 years, 5,328 dispositions): 34% allowance rate • 3.7 office actions per allowance • 899 days median pendency
ExaminerAllowance rateResolved casesPending apps
Long Bao Dang100.0%10
Kimberly Barber100.0%10
Peter Anthopolos100.0%10
Kyung Sook Chang100.0%10
Carlos A Azpuru85.8%1,18525
Zohreh Alemzadeh Fay67.8%48444
Laba Karki66.7%30
Yanzhi Zhang61.1%4960
Genevieve S Alley60.4%73824
Gina Chieun Yu Justice59.2%86334
Casey Shea Hagopian57.0%54044
Michael B Pallay55.9%74144
Alma Pipic54.8%72636
Audrea June Buckley Coniglio54.1%84333
Anna R Falkowitz51.5%5860
Afua Bamfoaa Boateng46.7%7531
Danielle D Johnson45.5%65931
Ali Soroush44.8%6180
Courtney A Brown44.6%5630
Sarah Pihonak40.0%100
Erin E Hirt39.5%380
Katherine Peebles35.6%51755
Umamaheswari Ramachandran35.5%620
Sahar Javanmard33.3%180
Deirdre Renee Claytor32.3%620
San Ming R Hui31.2%640
Shengjun Wang28.2%390
Timothy E Betton27.3%330
David Browe26.7%73938
Jennifer M Kim24.7%850
Elizabeth Anne Meyers22.2%1842
Yong Soo Chong22.0%410
Gigi Georgiana Huang21.4%280
Kendra D Carter20.0%450
Fereydoun Ghotb Sajjadi20.0%50
Paul E Zarek17.9%280
Layla Soroush15.4%520
Shobha Kantamneni14.3%350
Kara Renita Mcmillian12.2%490
Samira Jm Jean-Louis11.6%430
Jody Lynn Karol9.4%320
Johann R Richter2.4%420
Kathrien Ann Hartsfield0.0%240
Manu M Manohar0.0%80
Robert A Wax0.0%10
James David Sievert0.0%10

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the allowance rate in USPTO Art Unit 1617?

34.1% over the last five years, across 5,328 resolved applications.

Which examiners in Art Unit 1617 have the highest allowance rates?

Among examiners with at least 30 resolved applications: Carlos A Azpuru (85.8%, 1,185 resolved), Zohreh Alemzadeh Fay (67.8%, 484 resolved), Yanzhi Zhang (61.1%, 496 resolved).

Which examiners in Art Unit 1617 have the lowest allowance rates?

Among examiners with at least 30 resolved applications: Johann R Richter (2.4%, 42 resolved), Jody Lynn Karol (9.4%, 32 resolved), Samira Jm Jean-Louis (11.6%, 43 resolved).

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