Ex Parte YOULE et al - Page 7


                 Appeal No.  2001-0733                                                        Page 7                   
                 Application No. 09/095,429                                                                            

                 on an erroneous scientific theory to support the combination, that is, that                           
                 enzymatic activity is sufficient for cytotoxicity.  See Appeal Brief, page 5.  The                    
                 examiner argues, however, that “[t]he roles of the pryroglutamic acid residue in                      
                 cytotoxicity and enzymatic activities is truly irrelevant,” and that “one of ordinary                 
                 skill in the art would attempt to make a similar protein with similar characteristics                 
                 regardless of the role or function of the pyroglutamyl residue.”  Examiner’s                          
                 Answer, page 29.  The rejection fails, however, whether it is based on the                            
                 function of the pyroglutamic acid, or whether it is based on making a similar                         
                 protein with similar characteristics.  We will address both of these rationales in                    
                 turn.                                                                                                 
                        With respect to the function of the pyroglutamic acid, the rejection asserts                   
                 that because the pyroglutamic acid residue aids in forming the active site, “any                      
                 onconase missing [that] important amino acid[ ] is expected to have                                   
                 compromised enzymatic and the associated cytotoxic activity.”  Thus, the                              
                 rationale underlying the rejection appears to be that one would be motivated to                       
                 place the ATG start codon, which encodes methionine, at the -1 position, and                          


                 also mutate the methionine at position 23 to another amino acid, in order to allow                    
                 for cyanogen bromide cleavage of the recombinant protein at the methionine at                         
                 the -1 position, and thus allowing spontaneous cyclization of the glutamine                           
                 residue at position 1 to the pyroglutamic acid residue.  The examiner also argues                     
                 that the Ardelt reference supports the theory that enzymatic activity is required                     
                 for cytotoxic activity, and that appellants have not provided any experimental                        





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