INTERNATIONAL SEARCH REPORT interrnal Application No PCT/EP 99/09833 C. (Continuation) DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED TO BE RELEVANT Category Citation of document, with indication, where appropriate, of the relevant passages Relevant to claim No. A WO 96 36707 A (UNIV ROMA ; IST SUPERIORE SANITA (IT) ; CASSONE ANTONIO (IT) ; VALLE) 21 November 1996 (1996-11-21) the whole document A DALY S ET AL :"Isolation and characterization of a gene encoding alpha-tubulin from Candida albicans" GENE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON GENES AND GNOMES, GB, ELSEVIER SCIENCE PUBLISHERS, BARKING, vol. 187, no. 2, 18 March 1997 (1997-03-18), pages 151-158, XP004093273 ISSN : 0378-1119 the whole document 1 Ir lational applioation No. INTERNATIONAL SEARCH REPORT PCT/EP 99/09833 Box) Observations where certain claims were found unsearchable (Continuation of item 1 of first sheet) This International Search Report has not been established in respect of certain claims under Article 17 (2) (a) for the following reasons : 1. Claims Nos. : because they relate to subject matter not required to be searched by this Authority, namely : 2. Claims Nos. : 25-28 because they relate to parts of the international Application that do not comply with the prescribed requirements to such an extent that no meaningful international Search can be carried out, specifically : see FURTHER INFORMATION sheet PCT/ISA/210 3. Claims Nos. : because they are dependent claims and are not drafted in accordance with the second and third sentences of Rule 6. 4 (a). Box 11 Observations where unity of invention is lacking (Continuation of item 2 of first sheet) This International Searching Authority found multiple inventions in this international application, as follows : 1. ! ! As ait required additional search fees were timely paid by the applicant, this international Search Report covers all searchable claims. 2. As all searchable claims could be searched without effort justifying an additional fee, this Authority did not invite payment of any additional fee. 3. As only some of the required additional search fees were timely paid by the applicant, this International Search Report covers only those claims for which fees were paid, specifically claims Nos. : 4. No required additional search fees were timely paid by the applicant. Consequently, this Intemational Search Report is restricted to the invention first mentioned in the claims ; it is covered by claims Nos. : 1-28 and 32-34, all partially Remark on Protest The additional search fees were accompanied by the applicant's protest. Cl No protest accompanied the payment of additional search fees. u FURTHER INFORMATION CONTINUED FROM PCT/ISA/210 Continuation of Box 1. 2 Claims Nos. : 25-28 Present claims 25-28 relate to a compound defined by reference to a desirable characteristic or property, namely its identifyability by the method of claim 24.

The application does not provide support within the meaning of Article 6 PCT and/or disclosure within the meaning of Article 5 PCT for any such compounds. In the present case, the claims so lack support, and the application so lacks disclosure, that a meaningful search for these claims is impossible.

The applicant's attention is drawn to the fact that claims, or parts of claims, relating to inventions in respect of which no international search report has been established need not be the subject of an international preliminary examination (Rule 66. 1 (e) PCT). The applicant is advised that the EPO policy when acting as an International Preliminary Examining Authority is normally not to carry out a preliminary examination on matter which has not been searched. This is the case irrespective of whether or not the claims are amended following receipt of the search report or during any Chapter II procedure.

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTINUED FROM PCT/ISA/210 1. Claims : Invention 1 : claims 1-28 and 32-34, all partially Nucleic acid molecule comprising seq. ID. 1 or capable of hybridizing thereto and antisense thereof, cell containing said nucleic acid, polypeptide of seq. ID. 10 encoded by said nucleic acid, expression vector comprising said nucleic acid, antibody against said peptide, use of said nucleic acid or protein for preparation of medicament or pharmaceutical composition, C. albicans cell comprising an induced mutation in said DNA sequence, oligonucleotides comprising 10-120 nt of said nucleic acid sequence, and method for identifying compounds which modulate expression of said nucleic acid.

2. Claims : Inventions 2-9 : claims 1-28 and 32-34, all partially and as applicable As invention 1, but limited to the respective nucleic acid sequences 2-9, and polypeptide sequences corresponding thereto in as far as they are provided (see table 1 of the description).

3. Claims : Invention 10 : claim 29-31 Method for identifying DNA sequences from a cell or organism, which encode polypeptides which are critical for growth and survival for said cell or organism, comprising screening a library of nucleic acids using a vector that either integrates into the genome of said cell or organism, or that permits expression of antisense RNA, and selecting growth- impaired cells or organisms. INTERNATIONAL SEARCH REPORT !----------------- ! Intema'nal Appllcation No li nation on patent tamily members PCT/EP 99/09833 Patent document Publication Patent family Publication cited in search report date member (s) date WO 9736925 A 09-10-1997 CA 2250129 A 09-10-1997 EP 0904289 A 31-03-1999 WO 9737230 A 09-10-1997 US 5863762 A 26-01-1999 CA 2250121 A 09-10-1997 EP 0894269 A 03-02-1999 WO 9636707 A 21-11-1996 IT RM950314 A 18-11-1996 AU 5777696 A 29-11-1996 EP 0826040 A 04-03-1998