Appeal No. 2000-1929
Application No. 08/019,297
Background
Appellants’ specification discloses immunoassays for diagnosis of
acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).1 The present application claims
the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §§ 119 and 120 to applications dating back
to 1983. The specification discloses the isolation of the AIDS virus, referred to in
the specification as LAV1. See, e.g., page 3, lines 27-28.
The specification also discloses some information about the viral proteins.
See pages 7-8:
In order to determine which viral antigen was recognized by
antibodies present in the patient’s sera, several
immunoprecipitation experiments were carried out. Cord
lymphocytes infected with virus from patient 1 and uninfected
controls were labelled with [35S]methionine for 20 hours. Cells were
lysed with detergents. . . . Labelled virus released into the
supernatant was banded in a sucrose gradient. Both materials
were immunoprecipitated by antiserum to HTVL-1 [sic, HTLV-1]
p24, by serum from patient 1, and by serum samples from healthy
donors. Immunocomplexes were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel
elctrophoresis [sic] under denaturing conditions. A p25 protein
present in the virus-infected cells from patient 1 and in LC1 cells
infected with this virus was specifically recognized by serum from
patient 1.
The specification discloses that the viral p25 protein is likely to be located
in the viral core.
The main protein (p25) detected after purification of 35S-methionine-
labelled virus has a molecular weight of about 25,000 (or 25K).
This is the only protein recognized by the serum of patient 1. By
analogy with other retroviruses, this major protein was considered
to be located in the viral core.
1 The specification also refers to AIDS as “lymphadenopathy syndrome,” or “LAS.”
3
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