Prior art

US Patent 7364736, titled "Antibodies to OPGL," describes antibodies that bind to osteoprotegerin ligand (OPGL), as well as methods for using these antibodies to treat osteopenic disorders and detect OPGL in biological samples. The patent was filed on June 25, 2002, and granted on April 29, 2008. It claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/301,172, filed on June 26, 2001.

To identify the most relevant prior art, we will examine the patent citations listed in US7364736. The Google Patents entry for US7364736B2 lists 318 patent citations and 308 non-patent citations. It should be noted that the current date is April 26, 2026, and the patent's adjusted expiration was February 19, 2025.

Here are some of the patent citations listed in US7364736, with brief descriptions and potential relevance to the claims:

• US4710457A: Dupont et al., "Monoclonal antibody for human hematopoietic glycoproteins and method"

  • Publication Date: December 1, 1987.
  • Brief Description: This patent describes monoclonal antibodies specific for human hematopoietic glycoproteins.
  • Potential Anticipation: This patent, generally disclosing monoclonal antibodies and their production, could potentially anticipate broader claims in US7364736 related to the general concept of monoclonal antibodies or methods of making them, such as claims 1, 10, 20, 21, and 22, to the extent they are not specifically directed to anti-OPGL antibodies with particular sequences.

• US5693762A: Queen et al., "Humanized immunoglobulin libraries and methods for producing and using same"

  • Publication Date: December 2, 1997.
  • Brief Description: This patent details methods for producing humanized antibodies. US7364736 itself discusses human antibodies and CDR grafting (which is related to humanization techniques).
  • Potential Anticipation: Claims in US7364736 that pertain to humanized or fully human antibodies, or methods of producing them, such as claims 1, 10, 20, 21, and 22, might be implicated if the techniques described in US5693762A are sufficiently enabling for anti-OPGL antibodies.

• US6015938A: Boyle et al., "TRAIL receptor 2 specific binding proteins"

  • Publication Date: January 18, 2000.
  • Brief Description: This patent by one of the inventors of US7364736, William J. Boyle, relates to binding proteins specific for TRAIL receptor 2. While not directly about OPGL, it demonstrates prior art in the area of binding proteins and therapeutic antibodies from the same inventive team.
  • Potential Anticipation: This patent is less likely to directly anticipate claims specific to anti-OPGL antibodies, as the target antigen is different. However, it could be relevant for broader method claims if there are generic techniques for antibody production or use described that overlap with those in US7364736.

• US6271349B1: Dougal et al., "Regulation of osteoclastogenesis by osteoprotegerin"

  • Publication Date: August 7, 2001.
  • Brief Description: This patent discusses the regulation of osteoclastogenesis by osteoprotegerin (OPG), a natural inhibitor of OPGL. This patent is highly relevant as it describes the biological pathway involving OPGL and OPG, which is central to the invention of US7364736.
  • Potential Anticipation: This patent is highly relevant to the background and utility of anti-OPGL antibodies. Depending on its specific claims, it could potentially anticipate claims in US7364736 related to the understanding of OPGL's role in bone disorders, or methods of treating bone disorders by modulating OPGL activity, such as claims 23, 24, and 25.

• US6479635B1: Anderson et al., "Osteoclastogenesis inhibitory factor (OCIF)"

  • Publication Date: November 12, 2202 [sic]. Note: The publication date of "November 12, 2202" appears to be a typo in the search result. Based on other patents by Anderson et al. in the cited list and typical patent timelines, it is likely intended to be 2002.
  • Brief Description: This patent describes osteoclastogenesis inhibitory factor (OCIF), which is another name for osteoprotegerin (OPG). Similar to US6271349B1, this patent details the biology related to OPGL.
  • Potential Anticipation: Similar to US6271349B1, this patent could potentially anticipate claims in US7364736 related to the biological understanding of OPGL and its role in bone metabolism, and potentially methods of treatment based on modulating this pathway, such as claims 23, 24, and 25.

• US6528482B1: Anderson et al., "Osteoclastogenesis inhibitory factor (OCIF)"

  • Publication Date: March 4, 2003.
  • Brief Description: Another patent by Anderson et al. on OCIF/OPG.
  • Potential Anticipation: This patent would have similar potential anticipation implications as US6479635B1 and US6271349B1 regarding the underlying biology and therapeutic approaches to bone disorders via the OPGL/OPG pathway.

It's important to note that a full anticipation analysis would require a detailed claim comparison for each cited patent against each claim of US7364736, considering all limitations and the effective filing dates. The descriptions above offer a high-level assessment of potential areas of overlap.