Last year, President Obama announced the National Cancer Moonshot, an initiative with the goal of making ten years’ worth of advances in cancer research and treatment over the following five years. In support of this initiative, the USPTO announced its “Patents 4 Patients” program, also known as the Cancer Immunotherapy Pilot Program. Through this pilot program, which began June 29, 2016, applications directed to cancer immunotherapy are provided special status for examination, with the goal of completing prosecution within 12 months of the grant of special status.
