Interests
Intellectual property; patent law; patent practice; patent strategy; commercialisation; translational research; copyright; confidential information; biotechnology; pharmaceuticals; diagnostics; drug repurposing; precision medicine; 3D printers; regulation of innovation; regulation of information; empirical research; doctrinal research
CV / Biography
I am broadly interested in the development and use of new technology as it has the ability to: drive economies forward, increase public welfare and resolve important social problems. Much of my research focuses on the ability of patent law to meet its welfare-enhancing goal of accelerating the creation of new technology. In biotechnology and life-sciences — special interests of mine — this focus is particularly important, but it is also complicated; although patents can operate as incentives, they have numerous trade-offs. Smart innovation policy requires meticulous, transnational doctrinal research and robust empirical data. As a lawyer with scientific training, I strive to deliver both.
In 2018, Dr Kathy Liddell, Professor Mateo Aboy and I finished a project titled ‘Realising Genomic Medicine: Intellectual Property Issues Beyond the “Old” DNA Patent Debates’. See here for more detail.
We are now working on a project investigating the legal incentives surrounding the development of new uses for known drugs, commonly known as drug repurposing, a field of research in which scientists develop new medical uses for known drugs. Developing repurposed drugs is often quicker, cheaper and more likely to receive government authorisation than developing new drugs (from discovery), predominantly because much is already known about repurposed drugs’ safety and effectiveness. Consequently, they are an attractive proposition for both governments and drug companies in societies that desire new treatments at low prices.
Despite the attractions of repurposing drugs, many experts argue that too few drugs are repurposed. A key reason for this shortfall, they argue, is that the law fails to sufficiently incentivise them. As a result, they suggest, amongst other things, that patent law and/or regulatory exclusivities should be amended to remedy the situation. Perhaps unsurprisingly, other experts oppose these arguments, insisting that the suggested amendments would have the opposite effect, raising drug prices and reducing treatment options.
This research project aims to inform and resolve this debate through novel doctrinal research and innovative empirical methods.
The project is part of the wider CeBIL research programme, and we work closely with our collaborators in Copenhagen, Harvard and Michigan.
Publications
Books
"The Innovation Pool in Biotechnology: The Role of Patents in Facilitating Innovation"
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