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Dilworth IP’s Senior Patent and Trademark Paralegal, Theresa Doonan, will be participating in a panel discussion on Connecticut’s opiate addiction crisis this Monday, January 11th at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. Theresa is the co-founder of the Connecticut Heroin Task Force and HeroinKillsCT which were each founded to address and actively respond to the growing epidemic of heroin addiction in Connecticut

Early last month, the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington, CT held its second annual symposium “Microbiome Meets Cancer and Immunology.” This year’s event came on the heels of the formation of the Unified Microbiome Initiative (UMI), a consortium of microbiome researchers from across the country that includes JAX Professor and Director for Microbial Genomics George Weinstock.

Christmas is the biggest holiday in my family. We spend a lot of time putting up decorations, but the most time of all is devoted to decorating the Christmas tree. For me personally, it’s a uniquely special time because I find myself reflecting on Christmases past with absent family I very much miss, and Christmases when my own children (13 and 17) were very young. It wakes me up to the magic of this year’s Christmas, and how wonderful it is to have loved ones close. It makes me grateful.

Recognizing the potential of microbiome research to improve human health and generate novel technologies, a consortium of microbiome researchers from across the country announced the formation of the Unified Microbiome Initiative (UMI). The group, which includes George Weinstock, Professor and Director for Microbial Genomics at The Jackson Laboratory, made their announcement in the October 30 issue of Science. To advance microbiome research, the UMI calls for the development of new technologies and tools, including improved DNA sequencing, computational, and imaging methods. The UMI also advocates for additional and sustained collaboration among scientists in the field.

The Supreme Court’s decision altering the standard for claim indefiniteness in Nautilus Inc. v. Biosig Instruments, Inc., 134 S. Ct. 2120 (2014), arrived too late to rescue Nova Chemicals from the jaws of Dow Chemical’s patent infringement suit related to linear low density ethylene copolymers. However, Nova enjoyed a measure of revenge when the Federal Circuit reversed the award to Dow of supplemental damages for Nova’s activities during January 2010 through October 2011. The court decided the case correctly, but its rationale tilts too far in Dow’s favor. The decision reminded me of another odd figure in an earlier Dow polyethylene patent.

Research into the microbiome focuses heavily on bacteria living in the gut, which houses more bacteria than any other organ. These bacteria are being studied not only because they play a role in gastrointestinal disorders like Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Crohn’s Disease, and colorectal cancer, but also because they can influence diverse and distal organs. The gut-brain-axis – the term for the neurochemical pathway between the intestine and the brain – is a prominent example of such a relationship. As the research is starting to progress in this area, we are also beginning to see patents relating to this area.

Chemical methods of EOR recovery generally include polymer flooding, chemical flooding, liquid carbon dioxide flooding, and hydrocarbon displacement. Additives used in this area employ a variety of mechanisms, e.g., a reduction in the oil-water interfacial tension, alteration of surface wettability, and the use of high viscosity agents for mobility control. The objective is generally to increase the mobility of the oil phase relative to the water used in flooding the well to maximize oil recovery. To improve operability and performance, EOR applications sometimes use a combination of surfactant and polymer, known as “SP” formulations and alkaline, surfactant and polymer systems, known as “ASP” formulations.

This summer, Governor Malloy enhanced data protection for Connecticut residents by signing into law AN ACT IMPROVING DATA SECURITY AND AGENCY EFFECTIVENESS, Public Act No. 15-142, which addresses data security on a variety of fronts.

Existing laws generally require that anyone who conducts business in the state and who stores personal information must disclose a security breach without unreasonable delay to affected state residents and to the Attorney General. Failing to do so constitutes an unfair trade practice under CUTPA (the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act). (CGS 36a-701b). Public Act No. 15-142 clarifies that the notice of a breach must be given within 90 days after the breach is discovered, and that identity theft protection and, if applicable, identity theft mitigation services, must be offered to victims.

Dr. Anthony Sabatelli and Dr. Jonathan Schuchardt, both Partners at Dilworth IP, will be presenting at the 250th American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition in Boston this Thursday, August 20th. The theme of this year’s meeting is Innovation: from Discovery to Application and both presentations will be part of the ACS’s Chemistry and the Law (CHAL) Division’s slate of talks.

Last December, the US Patent and Trademark Office issued the “2014 Interim Guidance on Patent Subject Matter Eligibility” as further guidance to its examining corps for assessing patent eligible subject matter of claims reciting or involving laws of nature, natural phenomena, and natural products under 35 USC §101. The guidelines were issued in light of the high-profile Supreme Court decisions in Alice Corp., Myriad, and Mayo. Dr. Anthony Sabatelli, partner and chair of Dilworth IP’s pharmaceutical and biotech patent practice group provided his comments in person at the USPTO in January of this year.