US Patent 7,807,619, protecting core bioorthogonal chemistry methods co-invented by Bertozzi, was issued by the USPTO.
On October 18, 2005, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued patent US 7,807,619 B2, titled "Compositions and methods for modification of biomolecules," with Carolyn Bertozzi listed as a co-inventor. This patent formalized legal protection for core techniques underlying bioorthogonal chemistry, the field Bertozzi pioneered and for which she would later share the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
The issuance of this patent, following its filing in February of the same year, marked formal governmental recognition that the chemistry disclosed represented a genuine and useful invention meeting the standards of novelty and non-obviousness required for patent protection. This methodology enabled researchers to selectively label and study biomolecules such as cell-surface glycans within living organisms without disrupting normal cellular function.
This patent has since become one of the most cited and foundational pieces of intellectual property in the field of chemical biology, underpinning numerous downstream applications in diagnostics, imaging, and targeted drug delivery developed both within academia and by biotechnology companies, including Redwood Bioscience, which Bertozzi co-founded to commercialize bioorthogonal chemistry applications.
The 2017 induction of Bertozzi into the National Inventors Hall of Fame specifically recognized inventions protected by patents such as this one, underscoring its historical significance as a landmark achievement in translational chemistry.