US DoJ Argues Against Patenting Isolated Genes, But USPTO Will Maintain Status Quo

November 03, 2010

In a filing with the federal appeals court, the DoJ attempted to strike a balance between rewarding inventions that result from genomic discoveries and ensuring that discoveries of natural phenomena remain in the "storehouse of knowledge of all men." Meanwhile, it's business as usual at the USPTO until the appeals court rules on Myriad's challenged BRCA patents.

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In this issue of Pharmacogenomics Reporter

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Young Investigator Profile

Erin Carlson

Assistant Professor
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Bacterial Pathogenesis

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Papers of Note

Connection Between Epigenome, Selective Mutability, Evolution, and Human Disease
Li, Harris et al., PLoS Genetics
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Genetic Data for Modern Genetic Breeds 'Have Yet to Shed Light on Dog Origins'
Larson, Karlsson et al., PNAS
A team led by researchers at the University of Durham investigate the value of modern genetic data to elucidate the origins of dog domestication by analyzing 49,024 autosomal SNPs in 19 wolves and 1,375 dogs, representing 35 breeds. The team reports having uncovered conflicting evidence when correlating the earliest archeological dogs with the geographic locations of 14 breeds thought to be ancient. "These genetically distinct ancient breeds only appear so because of their relative isolation, suggesting that studies of modern breeds have yet to shed light on dog origins," the authors write.
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Business
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Funding
The National Institute on Aging will provide up to $6 million in 2013 to support up to three projects undertaking whole exome and/or whole genome sequencing data analysis to identify genomic contributions to both the risk for and protection against Alzheimer's disease. The funding program is part of the Presidential Initiative on Alzheimer's Disease and is expected to fund between one and three awards with up to $2 million direct cost per award for fiscal year 2013.
Genome Technology Magazine
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US DoJ Argues Against Patenting Isolated Genes, But USPTO Will Maintain Status Quo

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