On 1 May, the University hosted an expert workshop on intellectual property and genomics to explore the ways in which intellectual property policy currently supports, or hinders, the realisation of genomic medicine.
Attendees included senior experts from the fields of genomic discovery, technology management, European biobank development, IP law, health policy, and social science.
Introducing the event, Dr Kathy Liddell from the Law Faculty's Centre for Law, Medicine and Life Sciences (LML) said,
"Thousands of papers have identified research-grade genetic biomarkers. Many more will be found in the coming years. However, relatively few biomarkers have been successfully validated for routine clinical practice. This is because, when they are first discovered, biomarker discoveries typically lack sufficient sensitivity and specificity—in a clinical setting they would give rise to too many false positives and negatives. Considerable research and investment must follow in order to develop a clinically useful diagnostic, prognostic or pharmacogenomic test. An important and complex question is whether intellectual property policies are working effectively to stimulate and support this research. The future of genomic and precision medicine depends on it."
The discussion canvassed a wide range of issues including: non-patent incentives; different models of collaboration between commercial research organisations and publicly-financed bioresources; and the implications of recent US Supreme Court decisions for the genomics industry in the US and Europe.
The event was organized by Dr Liddell from the Centre for Law, Medicine and Life Sciences in collaboration with the University's Centre for Science and Policy. It was supported by the Department of Health and the ESRC-Cambridge Policy Impact Acceleration program.
A brief report will be published in due course. A follow-up event is also planned. Please contact the Centre of Law, Medicine and Life Sciences if you are interested in either (lml@law.cam.ac.uk).