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Human genome project benefits and risks
The importance of the human genome project
Significance of human genome project
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Ownership of Human Genes
With the advent of the Human Genome Project, a Pandora's box of ethical, legal, economic, and social issues was irrevocably released. The project, which aims to map the entire human genome by the year 2005, is an enormous international undertaking (7). At the onset, many realized that redundancy and its extraordinary cost could be minimized through international collaboration. With a $3 billion allocation to the DOE (Department of Energy) and NIH (National Institute of Health) towards this project, a database of sequences and gene identifications was established and research poured in from countries around the world such as France, Britain, Switzerland, and Japan.
Intellectual Property Rights
The extraordinary degree and range of possible medical advances that will come from this database immediately raised questions of intellectual property rights. Every newly sequenced segment of DNA holds a possible clue to a treatment for cancer or heart disease. These benefits to humanity and the associated economic gains to suppliers provide more than enough incentive for researchers to consider protection of their discoveries.
In determining patentability, the U.S. Patent Office evaluates applications by three criterion: novelty, utility, and unobviousness to peers in that field. DNA sequences fall into the "Plant Patent" category of patents, which expire years after application (4).
An important distinction must be made between patenting a human function and gaining ownership of another person. For instance, once a gene is isolated and patented for blond hair, the owner of the patent does not "own" a part of each blond person's genome. Instead, they have the right to prohibit others from develop...
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8.) Curien, Hubert. "The Human Genome Project and Patents" Science v.254 (Dec. 20 '91). Washington D.C., American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1991. 1710+.
9.) Eckhardt, Robert B. "Foxy Logic On Gene Pursuit." Nature v.382 (Aug. 29 '96). London, MacMillan (Journals) Ltd., 1996. 750.
10.) "Patent Nonsense?" New Scientist v.133 (Mar. 14 '92). England, IPC Magazines Ltd., 1992. 7.
11.) Roberts, Leslie. "OSTP to Wade Into Gene Patent Quagmire." Science v.254 (Nov. 22 '91). Washington D.C., American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1991. 1104- 5.
12.) Roberts, Leslie. "Who Owns the Human Genome?" Science v.237 (July 24 '87). Washington D.C., American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1987. 358-361.
13.) "Free Trade in Human Sequence Data?" Nature v.354 (Nov. 21 '91). London, MacMillan (Journals) Ltd., 1991. 171-2.
Gene patenting is the practice of allowing a company to patent specific gene sequences that are found within the human body. It is a highly controversial topic that has been debated upon for years, coming into the spotlight time and time again as people question both its benefits and its drawbacks. While gene patenting benefits the patent holding companies, its effects on society are both detrimental and it impedes progress. Gene patenting has negative consequences on the general public and obstructs
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physical and spiritual bodies are a part of an extremely complex being. One of the most intricate and complex parts of these bodies is who takes ownership of them. There are varied perspectives on this matter, which include nature, science, religion, government, family, society, and self. The body is born by nature and dies for nature. Nature takes ownership of the physical body through the organic matter of which it is made. Then when it dies, it is consumed back into the earth to provide nutrients
“Super weeds could lead to "bio invasions," displacing local diversity and taking over entire ecosystems.” Monsanto and a former life sciences organizations created a method of injecting the toxin producing gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) into corps. This specific BT gene harvest a toxin that restricts insects, and the genetically engineered BT plants and therefore, able to create their own
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Overview of Mutation Detection Methods in Genetic Disorders. Iranian Journal of Pediatrics, 23(4), 375-388. PMCID: PMC3883366 National Institute of Health. (2014). HTT huntingtin [ Homo sapiens (human) ]. Retrieved from U.S. National Library of Medicine, Genetics Home References website: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3064 National Institute of Health. (2013). Genetic Testing. Retrieved from U.S. National Library of Medicine, Medline Plus website: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/genetictesting.html