Thursday, October 15, 2009
11:45-1:15 pm Eastern
At the Life Sciences Law Institute
October 14-16, 2009
Renaissance Washington DC Hotel
Washington, DC
Title: Human Gene Patents
Description:
In May of this year, the ACLU brought a lawsuit against Myriad Genetics Inc., the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the University of Utah Research Foundation alleging that several patents relating to the BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast and ovarian cancer genes are invalid and unconstitutional. The suit was brought on behalf of several medical organizations, clinicians, researchers, breast cancer and women's health groups, genetic counselors, and individual women, and was accompanied by substantial media attention. This luncheon program will present an overview of the longstanding policy debate over human gene patents that ultimately gave rise to this lawsuit, explore some of the legal doctrines relevant to gene patents, and provide some insights into the many different ways gene patents can be viewed.
Presenters:
Jon F. Merz, MBA, JD, PhD
Associate Professor, Center for Bioethics
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Hans Sauer, PhD, JD
Associate General Counsel for Intellectual Property
Biotechnology Industry Organization
Washington, DC