Open Source Genes?
A new study shows that 20 percent of human genes have been patented in the United States, primarily by private firms and universities.
The study, which is reported this week in the journal Science, is the first time that a detailed map has been created to match patents to specific physical locations on the human genome.
Researchers can patent genes because they are potentially valuable research tools, useful in diagnostic tests or to discover and produce new drugs.
“It might come as a surprise to many people that in the U.S. patent system human DNA is treated like other natural chemical products,” said Fiona Murray, a business and science professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, and a co-author of the study.
“An isolated DNA sequence can be patented in the same manner that a new medicine, purified from a plant, could be patented if an inventor identifies a [new] application.”
Source: National Geographic
Could the open source way be applied to testing human genes?
Required assumptions for this hypothetical:
-Cheap effecient ways of researching and testing (much like using linux to create a webserver on your old 486 back in 1998)
-Abolishment of gene patents
-Highly educated individuals from around the globe interested in researching these genes
Questions:
-Will this happen in the future?
-What other obstacles face open sourcing gene research?
-If this will happen, when?
Related Posts »»
::IBM Launching MS Office Competitive Apps
::Big Time TV Networks Open Their Dollar Store’s
::Tsunami Hits Solomon Islands
::Bird Flu, A Media Hoax?
::Fossett Flys On
RSS feed
