Who Owns The Body? The Ethical, Legal, and Economic Implications of Gene Patenting

Should human DNA be patentable? Are gene patents good for innovation and healthcare? On March 27, join intellectual property experts at the German Center for Research and Innovation (GCRI) in New York for a panel discussion on the history and implications of gene patenting.

NEW YORK (March 19, 2014) – The impact of gene patents on fostering innovation is a highly debated topic. The arguments surrounding patenting and intellectual property in the health sciences are nuanced and complex. One of the most fervent arguments against the patentability of genes stems from the notion that facts and products of nature are not patentable, and a private company should not own or control information about our bodies. When the U.S. Supreme Court heard AMP vs. Myriad Genetics, a case that challenged the validity of gene patents in the U.S., several attempts were made to define where natural processes end and human ingenuity begins. On Thursday, March 27, 2014, join experts from Germany and the U.S. for a discussion on the history of the dispute, the scope of the ruling, and the implications that ensued for patenting natural products.

Prof. Myles Jackson, Dibner Family Professor of the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University and Professor of the History of Science and Technology at the Gallatin School of New York University, will speak at the event. He will provide a brief history of the Product-of-Nature Doctrine and how it led up to the Myriad case. He will also discuss BRCA1 and 2 patents and compare gene patenting from both a European and U.S. perspective.

Dr. Jackson received his Ph.D. in the History and Philosophy of Science from Cambridge University in 1991. He was a Senior Fellow at the Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology at MIT and at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin. Dr. Jackson has taught at Harvard University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Pennsylvania, and is the author of 40 articles and book chapters on the history, philosophy, and sociology of science and technology. Dr. Jackson was elected member of the Erfurt Academy of Sciences in 2009 and to the German National Academy of Sciences, Leopoldina (Halle) in 2011. He is currently working on the effects of intellectual property law and the patenting of human genes on research in molecular biology. He also serves as an expert for the ACLU in their attempts to torpedo the BRCA1 and 2 gene patents.

He will be joined by Dr. Hans Sauer, Deputy Counsel for Intellectual Property of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), a major U.S.-based trade association representing over 1,100 biotechnology companies from the medical, agricultural, environmental and industrial sectors in 31 countries. Dr. Hans Sauer will address the scope of the Myriad case and Supreme Court decision, as well as the implications it had for the biotechnology industry. In his presentation, he will also describe a prototypical gene patent. At BIO, Dr. Sauer advises the organization’s board of directors, amicus committee, and various staff committees on patent and other intellectual property-related matters. Previously, he was Chief Patent Counsel for MGI Pharma, Inc. and Senior Patent Counsel for Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc. Dr. Sauer has 18 years of in-house experience in the biotechnology industry, first as a research scientist and later as a lawyer. He worked on several drug development programs, being responsible for patent prosecution and portfolio oversight, clinical trial health information privacy, and sales and marketing legal compliance. He did his postdoctoral fellowship at Genentech, Inc. in South San Francisco. Dr. Sauer holds a M.S. degree from the University of Ulm in his native Germany, a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Lund, Sweden, and a J.D. degree from Georgetown University, where he serves as Adjunct Professor.

Maneesh Gulati, Partner in the Intellectual Property/Information Technology Group at McCarter & English, LLP, will serve as moderator, drawing upon over 13 years of experience as a patent professional. Mr. Gulati’s practice involves the management and development of patent portfolios, including the drafting and prosecution of patent applications in a variety of genomics, chemical, biotechnological, biomarker and mechanical fields. Mr. Gulati has managed and actively prosecuted substantial patent portfolios with applications throughout the world, in particular, those of start-ups, privately held companies, universities and multiple Fortune 100 biotechnology companies. Mr. Gulati has a B.S. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the Northwestern University School of Law.

This event will take place on Thursday, March 27, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the German Center for Research and Innovation (871 United Nations Plaza, First Avenue, btw. 48th & 49th Streets).

Unable to attend? Follow @gcri_ny and the hashtag #genepatenting for live tweets. A video recording will be available on www.germaninnovation.org shortly after the event.

This event is co-sponsored by the German Center for Research and Innovation (GCRI) and McCarter & English, LLP.

The German Center for Research and Innovation provides information and support for the realization of cooperative and collaborative projects between North America and Germany. With the goal of enhancing communication on the critical challenges of the 21st century, GCRI hosts a wide range of events from lectures and exhibitions to workshops and science dinners. Opened in February 2010, GCRI was created as a cornerstone of the German government’s initiative to internationalize science and research and is one of five centers worldwide.

Media Contact:
Jennifer Audet
Communications Officer
German Center for Research and Innovation
871 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
Audet@GermanInnovation.org
(212) 339 8680, ext. 302

This release was published on openPR.