iGEM of UBC

The iGEM 2010 forum is up and running! Please join the discussion and share your thoughts.

http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.0050058

More on the issue of patenting, law, and intellectual property.

http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v28/n4/full/nbt0410-293.html

This is a very insightful article on the impact of President Obama’s recent healthcare legislation on the biotechnology industry. Not just about economics, this article also discusses how economics itself will drive innovation in the biotechnology industry w.r.t. healthcare products in diagnosis and treatment.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/business/30gene.html

This ruling could have ramifications in synthetic biology as well, given its close ties with biotechnological development. What happens now to genes cloned out and placed in novel situations? Since those parts are, by definition, “a product of nature”, and thus “involve a law of nature”, are they equally (un)patentable?

http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v28/n3/full/nbt0310-230.html

This is a very insightful article – a recommended read for a human practices project.

Bioengineers launch first open-source genetic parts production facility

This facility has the potential to really help commoditize the use of synthetic biology in biotechnological development! How could its presence affect the patenting landscape?

Pentagon Looks to Breed Immortal ‘Synthetic Organisms,’ Molecular Kill-Switch Included

This news article gives us a lot to think about w.r.t. ethics in synthetic biology, especially the “Science & Society” discourse.

Changing the rules of the game: addressing the conflict between free access to scientific discovery and intellectual property rights

This article discusses patent law in brief, and addresses the balance that scientists need to strike between allowing free access to information vs. capitalizing on their Intellectual Property rights. It’s a very interesting article, and it’s strongly recommended for anybody who’s thinking of doing ethics work this year.