Appeal 2007-0539
Application 10/264,026
BACKGROUND
Gorgonian corals, “a diverse group of marine animals . . . commonly
known as sea feathers, sea whips and sea fans” (Spec. ¶ 3), harbor
endosymbiotic algal populations, collectively called Symbiodinium spp.
Various compounds which exhibit anti-inflammatory and anti-
proliferative activities, including pseudopterosins, seco-pseudopterosins,
diterpene aglycones, and tricyclic diterpenes, have been isolated from
gorgonian corals. Because isolating the compounds requires destroying the
corals, and because “animal products are often undesirable for use in
pharmaceutical[s] and cosmetics” (id. at ¶ 4), attempts have been made to
synthesize biologically active pseudopterosins, but “[t]hese chemical and
biosynthetic methods are expensive and often unsuccessful” (id.).
The present inventors, on the other hand, have demonstrated that
Symbiodinium spp. symbionts are “involved in the synthesis of
pseudopterosin compounds and can produce pseudopterosin compounds
without the aid of the host [gorgonian corals]” (id. at ¶ 26, and ¶ 138), and
that “pseudopterosin compounds may be produced by or isolated from
Symbiodin[i]um symbionts” (id. at ¶ 26).
“[T]he present invention relates to pseudopterosin compounds and
pseudopterosin compositions” (Spec. ¶ 10), free of animal impurities, or of
non-animal origin. Claims 14, 20, 33, 36, and 42 are representative, and
read as follows:
14. A pseudopterosin composition which comprises at least one
pseudopterosin compound and is free of animal impurities obtained by
isolating, purifying or preparing the compound from a Symbiodinium spp.
symbiont.
2
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next
Last modified: September 9, 2013