Appeal No. 1996-0927
Application 07/888,203
specifically defined by the specification, "homing" appears to describe the interaction or
binding between the altered stromal cells and the altered stem cells, in the host, which
results from the binding of the ligand-receptor binding pair. (Specification, pages 4-5).
The rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 103
Claims 3-9 and 22-23 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable
over Anklesaria taken with Pierce and Ohkawa.
In describing Anklesaria, the examiner states (Answer, page 4):
Anklesaria discloses engraftment of a murine bone marrow
stromal cell line in vivo (GB1/6) and that the transplanted stromal
marrow cells homed to the bone marrow sinuses (page 7682,
column 2, "Homing and Function of GB1/6 Cells in Transplanted
Mice"). Anklesaria further discloses that the stromal cell line
(GB1/6) was transformed with a retroviral vector containing the
Neo gene (Abstract). Anklesaria discloses that the homed
stromal cells were capable of supporting stem cell (nonadherent
cells) proliferation (page 7683, columns 1 and 2).
The examiner acknowledges that (Answer, page 4):
Anklesaria differs from the claims in that the reference fails to
disclose genetically engineered stem cells and stromal cells,
wherein the stem cells are engineered to express a first member
of a ligand-receptor binding pair and the stromal cells engineered
to express the second member of the ligand-binding pair.
The examiner relies on Pierce as disclosing a stem cell line which has been genetically
engineered to express the EGF receptor and Ohkawa as disclosing that hematopoiesis is
controlled by cell-cell interaction between hematopoietic cells and marrow stromal cells.
(Id.)
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