On March 23, 2026, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board issued a final written decision that upheld 23 of the 29 claims in U.S. Patent No. 11,435,360 B2, the core intellectual property behind Seer, Inc.’s Proteograph platform. The decision was announced by Seer on March 30, 2026, and it rejected the challenge filed by PreOmics GmbH and Biognosys AG, subsidiaries of Bruker Corporation.
The PTAB’s ruling preserved 18 unchallenged claims and five challenged claims, but it also invalidated the sole independent claim—Claim 1—along with several dependent claims that were central to the platform’s novelty. Seer’s press release highlighted the 23 upheld claims as a reinforcement of its technology moat, while PreOmics and Biognosys noted that the invalidation of Claim 1 removed a key protection that could allow competitors to replicate the core particle‑enrichment process without infringing the patent.
The mixed outcome has nuanced implications for Seer’s competitive position. The upheld claims continue to protect the breadth of protein enrichment and particle‑related aspects that enable deep, unbiased proteomic analysis, sustaining the company’s market advantage. However, the loss of Claim 1—an independent claim that defined the fundamental particle design—creates a potential vulnerability, as competitors may now navigate around the invalidated claim to develop similar enrichment technologies. The net effect is a partial erosion of the patent’s scope, but the remaining claims still cover a substantial portion of the platform’s technical features.
Seer’s CEO, Omid Farokhzad, emphasized that the decision “affirms the strength of our technology and our Proteograph platform” and that the company will continue to defend and invest in its intellectual property. In contrast, Dr. Oliver Rinner, co‑founder of Biognosys, stated that the outcome “confirms what we have consistently believed from the outset: the fundamental concepts at issue were already known in the scientific literature.” These statements illustrate the divergent interpretations of the ruling and the strategic stakes for both parties.
The Proteograph platform has been validated by a 2025 Nature Genetics study that demonstrated its ability to distinguish true protein changes from assay artifacts, underscoring the platform’s scientific credibility. The PTAB decision, therefore, not only affects Seer’s legal protection but also signals to the broader proteomics market the evolving boundaries of patentable innovation in nano‑ and microparticle technologies.
The PTAB’s final written decision is subject to appeal until May 25, 2026. Seer’s legal team is preparing for potential appellate proceedings, while Bruker’s subsidiaries are likely to pursue further litigation to solidify their position. The outcome will shape the competitive landscape for proteomic enrichment technologies over the next few years.
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