Gene patent

During the past years biotechnology have been vastly developed and gene patent plays a big role in the society. So what is gene patent? Gene patent is the exclusive right to a specific sequence of DNA given by the government to an individual or organization that claims to have first identified the gene. Once granted a gene patent, the holder of the patent dictates how the gene can be used for 20 years from the date of the patent. Right now, gene patent is used in many companies for research purposes or commercial purposes. However, private companies should not be able to patent life forms due to a number of social, ethical and legal implications that are connected to it. Firstly, gene patent slows down medical results because if a company…

When patents on genes were first granted it stirred up quite a controversy, since then there have been quite a bit of papers that support and oppose gene patenting. In their respective articles, Michael Crichton and John E. Calfee both discuss the controversial topic of gene patents; however Crichton is against gene patents and Calfee is for gene patents as an economist and brings up the pros of gene patents in his article. In their articles both of them talk about obtaining a patent from the…

In the afterword, Skloot discusses the commercialization of human tissue, the patents on various genes, and the fact that the companies who own the patents dictate what research is done on the genes. This is troubling for the reason that it limits the time in which scientists find a cure the genetic disease. One, in particular, is Myriad Genetics, the owner of the license for the BRCA and BRCA2, which is the main cause of breast and ovarian cancer. Skloot exposes her distaste for the unethical…

Patents. They allow an individual to own their own invention. An inventor is normally thought of as someone in the world of science, but this is not always true. Is John Pemberton, the man who created coca cola not considered an inventor? Inventors are everywhere around us from chemists looking to make the next coca cola to engineers trying to optimize the production of a substance, but what happens if someone were to try and steal another’s invention and take credit for it, that is where a…

In this relatively recent, landmark Supreme Court case, the Association for Molecular Pathology, various other medical professionals, and even a few patients petitioned together in order to sue Myriad Genetics for attempting to patent the specific genes known as BRCA1 and BRCA2. Christopher A. Hansen represented the plaintiffs of this case while Donald B. Verrilli, Jr., Solicitor General, from the Department of Justice in Washington D.C., argued on behalf of the respondent of the case…

Myriad Genetics and its gene patenting. Myriad Genetics, a biomedical company, was involved in the hunt or genes associated with an increased risk for breast cancer. They found a sequence of these genes and isolated them, which were known as BRCA1 and BRCA2, filing a patent for them. The basis of the testing premium price was that the patents would allow Myriad to set it during the twenty year life of the patents. Myriad even sent cease and desist letters on the basis of patent infringement when…

privately owned (Crichton 441). Gene patenting is a relatively new concept and controversial one at that. Many scholars have very strong opinions on this topic, two of these scholars being: Harvard graduate and novelist Michael Crichton and a former resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and staff economist John E. Calfee. Both scholars have written extremely compelling essays on the topic. Crichton’s essay “Patenting Life”, gives an overview of his adverse opinion towards…

When Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, he pictured increased profits and decreased labor. In fact, when an inventor creates technology or machines that would decrease labor, they usually keep in mind the amount of money they could make with the machine. This era of industry has turned our mind to inventing only when in need of profit. For instance, Thomas Edison invented the light bulb; however, he not only decreased the amount of wax that was used for candles but also increased the…

Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863. He is the creator of the automobile company Ford. He invented the first gasoline-powered automobile in his shed in 1901. His invention of the car had a significant impact on society. The invention of the automobile would not only change society but the world and its inventions. The invention didn’t just have an impact on society but on himself as well. Henry ford was an engineer in many fields and the creation of the car would make him one of the most…

Name Tutor Course Date Inventing Solutions Without most of today 's inventions, life would be unimaginably hard. Imagine a situation where people would walk for days in search of basic and social amenities. Imagine the world without electricity. It is in this regard that man invented solutions to most of these vexing problems affecting his day-to-day operations. Therefore, at this stage, we can say that the process of creating or designing a solution to a problem is called inventing a solution.…