On October 24, 2023, the US Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”), which is a component of the Department of Commerce, published two notices in the Federal Register seeking input from Tribal Nations regarding intellectual...more
After decades of intense scientific research into developing gene editing technologies, and more than a few setbacks, the field has produced a number of success stories in recent years, demonstrating that regulatory agencies...more
An international cadre of scientists* from almost 70 institutions worldwide recently reported their findings in the scientific journal Nature that the domesticated dog (Canis familiaris) arose from two populations of...more
As gene editing techniques come to the fore in the UK and elsewhere, industry increasingly needs clarity on the breeder's exception to plant variety rights. Originally published on IAM media.com on May 2022....more
The dire wolf (Canis dirus), prototype of the various wolves that were important members of the House Stark family of characters in Game of Thrones, was found uniquely in North America until its extinction in the late...more
Cancer, the "Emperor of All Maladies" as it has been termed, has been studied for millennia. President Nixon's "War on Cancer" resulted in slow but steady progress, aided by the biotechnology revolution, the development of...more
Genetic instability has long been recognized as a hallmark of oncogenesis and tumor progression. The phenomenon was first identified cytogenetically, most famously by the Philadelphia chromosome in chronic myelogenous...more
Lions (Panthera leo) once were a widely distributed group of terrestrial mammals, ranging during the Pleistocene (from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago) in Eurasia, Africa, and North America, with species that included the...more
The avocado, having gained popularity (at least in the U.S.) as a convenient (and delicious) vehicle for consuming otherwise not particularly healthful corn chips, has more recently been hailed as a "superfood" when consumed...more
Canada has joined the gene patenting debate. Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (“Children’s”) sued the University of Utah Research Foundation, Genzyme Genetics, and Yale University (“Defendants”) in Canada’s Federal...more
While the rest of the patent world was focused on Supreme Court opinions (issued and pending) and Congressional action vel non on threats like patent trolls, the consolidated Multi District Litigation between Myriad Genetics...more