Quo Vadis?

[摘要] The “ Quo Vadis ?” feature will allow young scientists (40 years of age and younger) the opportunity to express their opinions on the future of laboratory medicine. Below are select responses.Do you think the patenting of genes and gene products will help or hinder the science of laboratory medicine? “Patents and the protection of intellectual property in molecular diagnostics are essential for the field to progress. However, exclusive licenses to patents, such as Myriad Genetics' exclusive license to test for mutations in BRCA1/2 and Athena Diagnostics' exclusive license to test for mutations in DMD , are hindrances on the field. Each CLIA laboratory should legally be able to test for mutations in any gene, while maintaining a benefit to the ‘inventors’ to encourage discovery of new findings. Paying a percentage to inventors for each test run is one approach that would level the playing field between the large outfits and smaller laboratories.”—Sean Hofherr, Rochester, MN“Imagine a world in which a laboratory test such as blood typing is patented and could only be performed by one laboratory. It's easy to imagine the devastation this would cause to a patient in urgent need of a blood transfusion. We should be thankful that the testing for the PML-RARA fusion gene in acute promyelocytic leukemia is not patented, since …

[学科分类] 过敏症与临床免疫学