title: Interfacing of Science, Medicine and Law: The Stem Cell Patent Controversy in the United States and the European Union.
abstract: The patent eligibility of stem cells-particularly those derived from human embryos-has long been under debate in both the scientific and legal communities. On the basis of moral grounds, the European Patent Office (EPO) has refrained from granting patents for stem cells obtained through the destruction of human embryos. On the contrary, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has historically granted patents regarding the isolation and use of human embryonic and other stem cells. To date, these US patents remain valid despite an increasing onslaught of challenges in court. However, recent precedents established in US courts significantly narrow the scope of patent eligibility within biotechnology. This article compares the implications of recent legal changes on stem cell patent eligibility between the EU and US.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, University of Cambridge Cambridge, UK ; Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Sonya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Davey
authors.affiliation: Harvard University Cambridge, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Davey
authors.affiliation: The George Washington University School of Law Washington, DC, USA ; Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: The George Washington University School of Law Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Harvard University Cambridge, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Rajet
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vatsa
authors.affiliation: Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Devalaraja
authors.affiliation: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Sreenivas
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gannavaram
authors.affiliation: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Raj
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dave
authors.affiliation: Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Ananda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chakrabarty
keywords: human embryo; legal interpretation; stem cell commericalization; stem cell patent elibility; stem cell patent ethics