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What are the implications of gene patenting? In 1997, the US Patent Office agreed to allow patenting of gene strands with no known biological function if they were likely to have industrial use. The result has been that big academic labs and companies have been sequencing and patenting sequences in order to secure private investment.1 The topic has been surrounded by a large amount of controversy and there are numerous sides to the arguments. Biotechnology firms claim that if they couldn't patent genes it wouldn't be worth their while developing life-saving drugs and therapies, while many scientists, religious believers, humanists and environmental campaigners find loathsome the concept of private, for-profit corporations staking claims to what is literally a human birthright.2 A claimed advantage of gene patenting is that it encourages the "inventor" to publish details of their discoveries, allowing academic scientists to study it. However, once one of these researchers uses developments...

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