this is insane...INSANE!

[jverne]

BABIES with a severe form of epilepsy risk having their diagnosis delayed and their treatment compromised because of a company's patent on a key gene.

It is the first evidence that private intellectual property rights over human DNA are adversely affecting medical care.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national...1227491827171.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1


seriously...how can you patent a gene???
i'm more worried because this is just the beginning...i don't like to think how ****ed up the future might be.

Genetic Technologies caused an uproar last month when it threatened to sue hospitals that test for breast cancer genes.It is reviewing that position.

jesus!

 

[Insano]

Read Next, a book by Michael Crichton, if you're interested about how far they can go.

 

[jverne]

seriously...genetic research scares the hell out of me, especially when the private sector is involved.

again...i'm not saying corporations are evil by default, it's just they don't give a **** about you (unless you are rich of course) that's why all this crap is happening IMO.
but ok it's a complicated issue in general.

i might get that book...seems interesting

 

[Leto]

I remember a story a while back where this guy was supposedly immune to AIDS, so companies tried to patent his DNA. But that was a loophole that allows slavery; when they own his DNA, they own him.

I'm not too sure what happened afterwards, but yes, patents on genes and organisms is a scary thought. And I'm sure the companies understood what would happen if they did the patents.

The scale of some people's greed...

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Well if they were actual helpful humanitarians, it wouldn't be interesting right?

 

[Ravioli]

what does patent genes mean?

 

[Eejit]

That's ****ed up Australia. Even the USA (well.... Clinton) had the sense to make genes unpatentable.


Oh this reminds me, Craig Ventner is a cockmonkey.

Edit: lol looks like the US went down retardo-road too since the HGP -.-

 

[DEATHMASTER]

what does patent genes mean?

They own its copyrights. (How that works with genes I guess its just information rights)

 

[Kula Meenur]

Read Next, a book by Michael Crichton, if you're interested about how far they can go.

Read it. Brilliant book.

 

[Ravioli]

They own its copyrights. (How that works with genes I guess its just information rights)

Copyright of what? The genes? Their patients? Dont know much about biology, could someone explain better? Pretend im Sarah Palin

 

[jverne]

Copyright of what? The genes? Their patients? Dont know much about biology, could someone explain better? Pretend im Sarah Palin

i see it as kinda discovering water and claiming you only have the right to water.