Patent Information Users Group - Community Engagement Hour

PIUG MONTHLY Calendar - June 10

Theme: Mastering Sequence Searching in a Rapidly Evolving Patent Landscape

• The Case for Sequence Search: Understand the fundamentals of biological sequence searching in the patent context — nucleotide, amino acid, and beyond — and why conventional keyword searching simply isn't enough.
• Speaking the Language: Demystify the critical parameters that define a meaningful sequence hit — percentage identity, query coverage, E-values, and alignment scoring — and understand how to interpret these figures in a patent search context where "similar enough" can have significant legal consequences.
• Tools of the Trade: Explore the leading sequence search platforms and databases — from NCBI's BLAST to commercial tools — and understand when to use which, and why no single tool tells the whole story.
• The ST.26 Shift: Examine the impact of the WIPO ST.26 sequence listing standard, how the transition from ST.25 has reshaped search workflows, and what practitioners need to consider.
• Designing a sequence-based Search Strategy: Gain practical frameworks for building sequence search strategies that hold up in freedom-to-operate, invalidity, and patentability contexts — including how to handle variants, fragments, and functional equivalents.
• Networking: Share search war stories, tool tips, and lessons learned with peers navigating the intersection of bioinformatics and patent intelligence.

These bimonthly meetings provide informal get-togethers to network and share experiences around patent searching, databases & resources, analytics, etc

. This is a great way to meet people in the patent information profession, connect with old friends & colleagues, and learn from each other.