Genes and patents

This special issue of 'Community Genetics' addresses human gene patenting. Patenting human genes has been controversial since day one, with proponents asserting that patents are necessary to promote investment in the development of therapies and cures, and with opponents arguing that gene patents are immoral and unethical. This publication contains papers written by scientists, lawyers, social scientists and policy analysts, representing a broad-range perspective on the benefits and burdens of gene patenting. While some data have accumulated as the corpus of gene patents has expanded, the papers show that the underlying questions about consequences, both pro and con, remain unanswered. These issues first came to a head more than a dozen years ago when the US National Institutes of Health filed patent applications on thousands of gene fragments called Expressed Sequence Tags, and they have spread to other developed countries. Providing a balanced, international overview of gene patenting practices and experiences, this publication will be of interest to scientists, lawyers, policy analysts and others who are interested in biotechnology, intellectual property, innovation and genetic medicine.