Through the Looking Glass of Biotechnology: D-Proteins as Objects of Patent Protection

Abstract—

This article is devoted to the patenting of proteins, containing D-isoforms of amino acids, its potential problems and perspectives. Today, technologies for the biosynthesis of protein constructs with nonstandard amino acids in their composition are among the most promising and rapidly developing areas of biotechnology, along with genome editing technologies, due to the cheapening of the solid-phase synthesis process and the appearance of modified ribosomes that use nonstandard amino acids in ribosomal synthesis. This article contains materials indicating the relevance and interest of inventors in this area. Due to the fact that changes in the amino acid sequence of a known protein, consisting of a chain of L-amino acids, by converting the original L-amino acids into D-form, leads to unexpected functional and physicochemical changes of the protein, broad prospects open up for the creation of new drugs, enzymes, pesticides, and other protein products used in various industries, including medicine, food, agriculture, and light industry. Also, this article also touches upon changes in WIPO Standards relating to presentation sequences in terms of the display of D-amino acids in sequences according to WIPO standard ST.25 or ST.26. Here, we describe the potential problems that may arise in the process of patent examination of such applications, e.g., the case when identical sequences of D- and L-proteins having different biological properties.