Patent decision

BL number

O/170/05

Concerning rights in

GB 0201819.0

Hearing Officer

Mr P Back

Decision date

23 June 2005

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

Aeomica Inc.

Provisions discussed

PA 1977, Section 1(1)(b)

Keywords

Inventive step

Related Decisions

O/171/05, O/197/05

Summary

The application relates to a human polypeptide, named POSHL1, with a proposed function as an onco-protein which interacts with small GTPases and the downstream effectors in the signal transduction pathway. Further claims relate to standard features or applications of polypeptides and polynucleotides which would be considered when any protein and/or gene is identified. Claims to the polypeptide and polynucleotide were held to lack inventiveness over the prior art disclosed in a single journal documents. This document disclosed the mouse POSH protein and was used to infer a function for human POSHL1 based on similarities within certain domains and in overall structural organization. Given the information contained in the cited documents, together with the common general knowledge of the skilled man, it was considered obvious to look for POSH orthologs in species other than the mouse and therefore the identification of the human POSH sequences did not involve any inventive step.

Full decision O/170/05 174Kb