Monib A. Zirvi

Monib A. Zirvi is a dermatologist, biomedical researcher, and inventor whose research has included ligase detection reaction assays, mutation detection, and addressable nucleic-acid arrays.

Zirvi practices dermatology at Summit Health and holds a courtesy instructor appointment in microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medicine. He is named as a co-inventor on Cornell-associated patent families concerning ligase-based detection of nucleic-acid sequence differences and addressable arrays.

Beginning in 2018, Zirvi became involved in federal litigation concerning alleged trade-secret misappropriation and later legal-malpractice claims connected with intellectual-property litigation involving Cornell University, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Illumina, Inc..

Background, Education and medical career

Zirvi was born in 1972 and grew up primarily in Fair Lawn, NJ and graduated as Valedictorian of Fair Lawn High School, Class of 1989.

Zirvi earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Princeton University in 1993, a Ph.D. from the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences in 1999, and an M.D. from Weill Cornell Medical College in 2000.

He subsequently entered dermatology practice in New Jersey and practices at Summit Health. Weill Cornell Medicine lists him as an instructor in microbiology and immunology (courtesy).

Research

While at Cornell, Zirvi participated in research involving polymerase chain reaction and ligase detection reaction (PCR/LDR) methods for identifying genetic sequence variations.

In 1999, Zirvi was a co-author of a study published in ‘’Oncogene’’ describing a multiplex PCR/LDR assay for detecting 19 possible single-base mutations in three ‘’KRAS’’ codons in primary colon tumors.

Zirvi was first author of two papers published in ‘’Nucleic Acids Research’’ in 1999. One examined ligase-based detection of mononucleotide-repeat sequences. The other examined methods for improving the fidelity of thermostable ligases in detecting microsatellite-repeat sequences.

His later research included work involving detection of the BRAF V600E mutation in melanocytic lesions.

Patents and technology

Zirvi is named as an inventor or co-inventor on multiple patents assigned to the Cornell Research Foundation involving nucleic-acid analysis.

The patents include methods for detecting nucleic-acid sequence differences using ligase detection reactions and addressable arrays, as well as methods for designing addressable arrays.

Cornell’s Center for Technology Licensing identifies Francis Barany and Monib Zirvi as inventors on patents associated with technology used in the SNPlex Genotyping System. Cornell’s technology-transfer materials describe the system as using LDR/PCR technology for allelic discrimination and amplification and identify Applied Biosystems, later part of Life Technologies, as a licensee.Patents US 6,506,594, US 6,852,487, US 7,083,917, US 6,534,293 Issued Jan 14, 2003, Feb 8, 2005, Aug 1, 2006, Mar 18, 2003 Inventors Francis Barany & Monib Zirvi Patent US 7,455,965 Issued Nov 25, 2008 Inventors Francis Barany, Reyna Favis & Monib Zirvi

Zirvi v. Flatley

In 2018, Zirvi and three other scientists filed an action in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Illumina, Affymetrix, Applied Biosystems, and several individuals. They alleged, among other claims, misappropriation of trade secrets related to DNA-analysis technology developed during research associated with Cornell.

The district court dismissed the complaint in 2020, including on statute-of-limitations grounds. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal.This was cited in numerous other trade secret and fraudulent concealment cases subsequently.

Zirvi and the other plaintiffs petitioned the Supreme Court of the United States for review. The Supreme Court denied certiorari in 2021.

The proceedings received legal commentary concerning the notice required to trigger the statute of limitations for trade-secret misappropriation claims.

Zirvi v. Illumina

In April 2023, Zirvi filed a separate action in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey against Illumina, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Latham & Watkins, and several individual attorneys.

Reuters reported that Zirvi alleged a conspiracy concerning gene-analysis technology and alleged that attorneys involved in earlier patent litigation had misled him concerning protection of his intellectual-property interests. ‘‘Life Sciences Intellectual Property Review’’ separately reported on allegations concerning DNA “ZipCode” sequences.

The district court dismissed the action with prejudice. In October 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed the dismissal on claim-preclusion grounds.

Bloomberg Law separately reported on the Third Circuit decision and described the case as a malpractice action arising from earlier patent litigation.

Zirvi subsequently petitioned the Supreme Court for review. The Supreme Court denied certiorari on April 20, 2026.

The proceedings generated commentary concerning the relationship between university inventors, institutions controlling patent rights, and attorneys involved in patent litigation. Patent-law professor Dennis Crouch discussed Zirvi’s Supreme Court petition in ‘‘Patently-O’’ in an article titled “Privity Without Duty: When Patent Inventors Are Bound but Not Represented”.

‘’The Cornell Daily Sun’’ also reported on Zirvi’s Supreme Court petition and its relationship to earlier Cornell-related patent litigation.

Selected publications

  • Khanna, Marilyn; Park, Pat; Zirvi, Monib; et al. (1999). “Multiplex PCR/LDR for detection of K-ras mutations in primary colon tumors”. ‘‘Oncogene’’. ‘’‘18’’’ (1): 27–38. doi:10.1038/sj.onc.1202291. PMID 9926917.
  • Zirvi, Monib; Nakayama, Takamori; Newman, Gregg; et al. (1999). “Ligase-based detection of mononucleotide repeat sequences”. ‘‘Nucleic Acids Research’’. ‘’‘27’’’ (24): e40. doi:10.1093/nar/27.24.e40. PMID 10572192.
  • Zirvi, Monib; Bergstrom, Donald E.; Saurage, Andrea S.; et al. (1999). “Improved fidelity of thermostable ligases for detection of microsatellite repeat sequences using nucleoside analogs”. ‘‘Nucleic Acids Research’’. ‘’‘27’’’ (24): e41. doi:10.1093/nar/27.24.e41. PMID 10572193.

References

“Monib Zirvi inventions, patents and patent applications”, ‘‘Justia Patents’’. Retrieved August 26, 2026.

“Monib Zirvi, PhD, MD - Dermatology”, ‘‘Summit Health’’. Retrieved August 26, 2026.

“SNPlex Genotyping System”, Cornell University Center for Technology Licensing. Retrieved August 26, 2026.

“Scientist accuses Illumina of long-running trade secrets plot”, ‘‘Life Sciences Intellectual Property Review’’. Retrieved August 26, 2026.

Blake Brittain, “Illumina, attorneys sued by former Cornell researcher over cancer-screening tech”, ‘‘Reuters’’, April 10, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2026.

Marilyn Khanna, Pat Park, Monib Zirvi, et al., “Multiplex PCR/LDR for detection of K-ras mutations in primary colon tumors”, ‘‘Oncogene’’, 18(1), 27–38 (1999). PMID 9926917.

Monib Zirvi, Takamori Nakayama, Gregg Newman, et al., “Ligase-based detection of mononucleotide repeat sequences”, ‘‘Nucleic Acids Research’’, 27(24), e40 (1999). PMID 10572192.

Monib Zirvi, Donald E. Bergstrom, Andrea S. Saurage, et al., “Improved fidelity of thermostable ligases for detection of microsatellite repeat sequences using nucleoside analogs”, ‘‘Nucleic Acids Research’’, 27(24), e41 (1999). PMID 10572193.

‘‘Zirvi et al. v. Flatley et al.’’, Document 173, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (2020), via Justia.

’‘Zirvi v. Flatley’’, 838 F. App’x 582 (2d Cir. 2020).

“Monib Zirvi, et al. v. Jay T. Flatley, et al., No. 20-1612”, Supreme Court of the United States. Certiorari denied October 4, 2021.

“Supreme Court Declines to Weigh in on Notice Required to Trigger Statute of Limitations for Trade Secret Misappropriation Claims”, ‘‘Trade Secrets Trends’’, October 18, 2021.

“Monib Zirvi v. Illumina Inc., No. 24-2644”, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, October 28, 2025, via Justia.

Michael Shapiro, “Akin Gump, Latham Defeat Doctor Who Claimed Patent Malpractice”, ‘‘Bloomberg Law’’, October 28, 2025.

“Monib Zirvi v. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP, et al., No. 25-940”, Supreme Court of the United States. Certiorari denied April 20, 2026.

Dennis Crouch, “Privity Without Duty: When Patent Inventors Are Bound but Not Represented”, ‘‘Patently-O’’, February 9, 2026.

Atticus Johnson, “Weill Cornell Doctor Files U.S. Supreme Court Petition Accusing Top Law Firm of Malpractice”, ‘‘The Cornell Daily Sun’’, February 17, 2026.

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