Freedom-to-operate patent searches for selecting sequences of drug targets

CHAL 2

Heahyun Yoo, heahyun.yoo@bms.com, Yun Yun Yang, Erin Smith, Cynthia Barcelon-Yang, and Thomas Klose. IKI, Bristol Myers Squibb Co, Bldg. 17-100, 311 pennington-Rocky Hill Rd, Pennington, NJ 08534
Drug discovery process has been markedly facilitated by advances in genome sequencing, identification of genes associated with diseases, and state-of-the-art techniques of high throughput screening assay. Target validation and lead identification steps are critical for the discovery process, which routinely utilize gene/protein sequence data. Due to dramatic increases in the number of sequence claimed as intellectual properties, target validation processes should be followed by the clearance of freedom-to-operate (FTO) issues in using sequence of potential drug targets in order to avoid infringing patents claiming sequences of interest. This presentation discusses some of the challenges, search scopes/criteria of the sequence searches, and suggests ways to alleviate difficulties in conducting sequence-based patent information searches associated with freedom-to-operate issues.