The Seeker is looking for any non-patent literature, presentations, posters, proceedings, literature, proposals, reports, patents or patent applications, etc. publicly disclosed prior to April 9, 2004 to challenge the novelty of specific concepts and methods in the claims of these patents:
The information of interest will most likely be found in publicly disclosed, non-patent literature such as: presentations, posters, public lectures, oral proceedings, conference proceedings, literature, scientific journals, research proposals or reports, university trials, citations, laboratory manuals, or publicly available thesis.
Information can be from primary or secondary sources and in English language or non-English with relevant passages translated into English.
The expected deliverable is a reference publicly disclosed prior to April 9, 2004 providing the information or evidence listed.
Information of greatest interest will describe control of Western corn rootworm (WCR) by use of a combination of a Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticide and a double-stranded RNA that inhibits an essential gene of WCR (for example, genes involved in normal growth, reproduction or metabolism).