Solve in Practice: Drafting Antibody Patent Applications

Preparing a biotechnology patent application for antibodies, peptides, or biologic proteins involves more than describing your invention. You must navigate complex regulatory requirements for sequence listings, craft strategic claim language, and accurately describe biological sequences—all while avoiding errors that could delay examination or compromise your filing.

Solve Intelligence transforms this process, helping you prepare compliant sequence listings, identify gaps in disclosure, organize complex biological data, and draft robust claims with greater speed and accuracy.

This guide walks you through using AI throughout each phase of drafting a sequence-based patent application—from organizing sequence data to ensuring full regulatory compliance.

Why Sequence Listing Compliance Matters

Patent offices worldwide require biological sequences—both nucleotide and amino acid sequences—to be presented in a standardized, machine-readable format. In the U.S., if your application discloses sequences meeting the regulatory threshold (e.g., amino acid sequences of four or more residues), you must include a sequence listing conforming to WIPO Standard ST.26.

Key requirement: For applications filed on or after July 1, 2022, sequence listings must be submitted in XML format.

Non-compliant sequence data can trigger incomplete filing notices, examination delays, and potentially undermine your patent disclosure. The sequence listing is an integral part of your patent specification.

Step 1: Upload and Organize your Sequence Data

Begin by gathering all nucleotide and amino acid sequences your invention discloses or relies upon. This includes:

·      Antibody heavy and light chains

·      Complementarity determining regions (CDRs)

·      Peptide fragments

·      Engineered variants and mutations

In Solve's Patent Copilot, you can upload sequences in multiple formats:

·      Raw sequence files (FASTA, GenBank)

·      Excel-based sequence listings

·      Previously generated ST.26 XML files

Organizing this data upfront enables the AI to understand your invention's structure and intelligently populate both the specification and sequence listing sections.

Watch the following short videos describing how to upload sequences and navigate Solve’s sequence listing tool.

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Step 2: Generate an ST.26-Compliant Sequence Listing

Once your sequences are uploaded, Solve's Copilot can automatically generate a Sequence Listing that:

·      Conforms to WIPO Standard ST.26 formatting requirements

·      Outputs XML format as required for U.S. applications filed after July 2022

·      Ensures proper residue enumeration (amino-to-carboxy direction, uppercase formatting)

·      Validates sequence integrity and metadata completeness

Built-in error detection flags common issues before you generate the final listing:

·      Invalid characters or special symbols

·      Incorrect sequence length formats

·      Missing or incomplete metadata fields

Watch the following short video describing how to export sequence listings using Solve’s sequence listing tool.

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Step 3: Draft Your Patent Specification with Biological Precision

With sequences uploaded and organized, use Solve's AI Copilot to draft the remaining sections of your application. The tool helps you:

·      Describe biological molecules clearly: Translate technical sequence data into accessible language for patent examiners

·      Explain functional characteristics: Detail binding epitopes, functional domains, therapeutic activity, and specificity

·      Document development methods: Describe how sequences were generated, mutated, optimized, or selected

·      Link sequences to claims: Ensure specification supports your claim scope with sufficient detail, integrating SEQ ID NO’s from the sequence listing throughout the specification

Solve's AI bridges the gap between raw sequence data and patent disclosure language, generating technically accurate descriptions that satisfy both biological precision and patent law requirements.

The Result: Faster, Higher-Quality Patent Applications

By integrating AI throughout the drafting process, you achieve:

·      Regulatory compliance from the start—no last-minute scrambles to fix sequence formatting

·      Reduced errors through automated validation and consistency checks

·      Faster turnaround with AI-assisted drafting of technical sections

·      Stronger applications with comprehensive disclosure and well-supported claims

Patent practitioners can focus on strategy and claim scope while Solve Intelligence handles the technical complexity of sequence-based applications.

Get Started with Solve Intelligence

Ready to streamline your next antibody or biologics patent application? Solve's AI-powered patent drafting tools are designed specifically for the challenges of biotechnology patent practice.

Learn more about Solve's Patent Copilot here.