What is the “proper” amount of freedom of choice for patients in medicine? What if the treatments in question are experimental and come with their own baggage of associated risks, personal costs, and potential costs to society? More broadly, do patients have a fundamental right to medical choice? These questions seem particularly appropriate today on […]
Do Patients Have a Fundamental Right to Choice? Read More »
With more than 250 votes cast, Jennifer Doudna is leading by a decisive margin in a poll asking who deserves the patent for use of CRISPR-Cas9 as a tool. Feng Zhang got only just over half the votes of Doudna. Another take home message from this poll is that a sizable minority–almost one in five– said
Doudna most deserving of CRISPR Cas9 patent, says poll Read More »
The challenge to the WARF/Jamie Thomson patents/IP on human embryonic stem cells (hESC) is at an end. The US Supreme Court declined to hear the case. Earlier, the USPTO had turned down the challenge leading to a winding road in the courts. What do you all think of this stem cell IP challenge and the
Supreme Court Rejection of WARF hESC Patent Challenge Discussion Read More »
The still mysterious BioGatekeeper had challenged Yamanaka’s IPS cell patent claiming that it was obvious. The potential implications were huge given the commercial interest in translating IPS cell technology. For background see here, here, and here. There’s pretty much zero information on BioGatekeeper otherwise. Despite the potential seriousness of this patent challenge, just a few days
Challenge of Yamanaka Patent by BioGatekeeper Fails Read More »
A mysterious organization called BioGatekeeper, Inc. has filed a legal challenge to the Yamanaka Patent seeking to cancel it (for more on this see here and here). The technology to change just about any human cell into a super powerful kind of stem cell called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells or iPSC) has great
Phantom of the Stem Cell Opera: BioGatekeeper Read More »
A new patent dispute has exploded in the stem cell field related to induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. What’s going on? In 2006, Shinya Yamanaka reported cellular reprogramming to create mouse induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells in Cell and the next year multiple groups along with Yamanaka’s reported creating human iPS cells. It’s no exaggeration
Challenge tries to cancel Yamanaka iPS cell patent Read More »
Should a company be able to have a gene patent and more generally and practically speaking can genes be patented? Patent and IP issues always raise a myriad of questions so what about a patent case on a company called Myriad? Complicated, right? If genes in their natural form cannot be patented, does that mean
Myriad SCOTUS Decision: Can you have a gene patent? Read More »
Over the past year the FDA and FBI have stepped up their actions related to sellers of dubious stem cell treatments. Most recently we have seen arrests of “Drs.” Morales and Stowe as well as others. Mr. Stowe, who is not a medical doctor, remains a fugitive of the FBI. Has the FBI now effectively
My message to sellers of dubious stem cell treatments: time to quit Read More »
There has been concern for months about the direction that the European Union was heading in regards to intellectual property (IP) rights and stem cell patent approaches. Now, a definitive decision banning embryonic stem cell (ESC)-based patents by the EU Court has dealt a severe blow to stem cell science in Europe. The European Court
Anti-cure impact of Errant EU stem cell patent decision Read More »