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POSTnote. It was first published on Tuesday, 24 November 1992. It was last updated on Tuesday, 12 May 2015.


Patenting Human DNA

The UK is active in a large international programme to decipher the human genetic code. A split has developed between those (led by the US Government but followed reluctantly by the UK) who are attempting to patent basic genetic information as soon as it is decoded, and those who believe that patents should only be considered after further inventive steps. This undermines the international cooperation on which the programme relies.

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Secondary information

Type
Research briefing
Reference
POST-PN-37 
Subjects
DNA International cooperation Ethics Patents Human experiments
Published by
POST
Link
View this Research briefing on researchbriefings.parliament.uk