[syndicate] Private companies own human gene patents

[marc]

Hi claudia,

I suppose its like creating a patent of an idea, or making a product out 
of something, rather than patenting (supposedly) an already exisiting 
material...

marc

>
> was unaware that obviously isolating something (identification of a 
> part) makes something patentable
> just because it cannot exist in nature in this isolated form
>
>
> (I think that I remember that when the Human Genome Project started 
> people were saying it was not possible to patent the findings of 
> identification .. ? )
>
> ?
>
> -c
>
>
> see:
>
> http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/patents.shtml
>
> In general, raw products of nature are not patentable. DNA products 
> usually          become patentable when they have been isolated, 
> purified, or modified to produce a unique form not found in nature.
>
>
>
>
>
>> Private companies own human gene patents
>>
>> Kate Ravilious
>> Friday October 14, 2005
>> The Guardian
>>
>> Nearly a fifth of all human genes have been patented - the majority 
>> by private biotechnology companies, according to a survey of patent 
>> records published today.
>>
>> The extent to which companies claim ownership of human genes has 
>> raised alarm among researchers and led to warnings that by asserting 
>> commercial rights over crucial genes, companies risk stifling 
>> research into diseases such as breast cancer, diabetes and obesity.
>>
>> Legal cases triggered by disputes over who owns specific genes and 
>> how access to working on them is restricted are also likely in 
>> future, the scientists warn.
>>
>> Kyle Jensen and Fiona Murray at Massachusetts Institute of Technology 
>> calculated the proportion of human genes that had been patented by 
>> comparing the genetic sequences claimed in US patents to genes listed 
>> in the National Centre for Biotechnology Information gene database. 
>> They were surprised to find so many had already been patented. "The 
>> stories that we hear in the media only concern a very small number of 
>> human genes," said Dr Murray. "But it turns out that a high number 
>> have been patented, including some of the more obscure ones."
>>
>> Writing in the journal Science today, the researchers report that 
>> nearly 20% of the human genome, or 4,382 of the known 23, 688 human 
>> genes, have been patented, with over half owned by private companies. 
>> Around 63% of the patents are assigned to private firms, with one 
>> firm, Incyte Pharmaceuticals/Incyte Genomics, having intellectual 
>> property rights covering 2,000 human genes.
>>
>> more...
>> http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,3605,1591991,00.html?gusrc=rss
>>
>>
>>
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