The “Big Bang” for Sequence Listings: New Requirements in Place July 1, 2022

Life sciences patent applications often contain DNA, RNA, and amino acid sequences in the specification, claims, or figures that are required to be provided in the form of a sequence listing. The inclusion of sequences in patent applications are compulsory to satisfy patent office requirements for the written descriptions and disclosures that are necessary to obtain a patent for biologic products. The sequence listings are used by patent offices during examinations to search for identical or similar sequences when assessing novelty and nonobviousness of the invention sought to be patented. Sequence listings also become publicly available when a patent application is published, allowing the public to access the sequence information. This is especially important when reviewing the patent landscape for freedom to operate analyses for third-party patents.

Read the full blog post.