Recently, US biotechnology firm Seer Inc., in conjunction with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission (ITC), alleging that Nanomics Biotechnology Co. Ltd.’s protein testing products infringe upon five of its patents, in violation of Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930. The complainants are seeking a limited exclusion order and a cease-and-desist order from the ITC to prohibit the relevant products from entering the US market.

Public records indicate that Nanomics is a Chinese company specialising in the development of proteomics platforms, integrating nanotechnology, automation and AI to comprehensively empower liquid biopsy, companion diagnostics and early screening applications. The products subject to this complaint include the Proteonano series of workstations and testing kits.

On 29 May 2026, Seer and Brigham and Women’s Hospital jointly filed a complaint with the ITC. On 1 June, the ITC published a notice in the Federal Register confirming receipt of the complaint and opened an eight-day window for the submission of public interest statements.

The patents at issue relate to Seer’s Proteograph product suite, covering automated systems, software and other innovative technologies for proteomic testing. Two of these patents (US Patent Nos. 11,435,360 and 12,228,566) are owned by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and exclusively licensed to Seer. Seer alleges that Nanomics’ Proteonano series workstations and test kits, among other products, infringe all five patents, including US Patents Nos. 11,630,112, 12,050,222 and 12,590,948.

In its complaint, Seer stated: “Nanomics has copied virtually every feature of Seer’s domestic US products.” The company provided images as evidence, claiming that Nanomics had even replicated Seer’s product renderings to illustrate usage instructions. Seer emphasised that it had made “substantial and significant investments” in the development and manufacture of the Proteograph product in the United States, and that “virtually all manufacturing and assembly” was carried out in the US. Seer argued that barring Nanomics’ products from entering the US would not raise any public health or welfare concerns, noting that Nanomics had identified only three US research institutions (including Harvard Medical School) as its partners.

In addition to the ITC proceedings, Seer and Brigham and Women’s Hospital filed a parallel lawsuit against Nanomics in mid-May 2026 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, case number 1:26-cv-05498, seeking monetary damages.