 |
|
Startling results from new biomedical research international conference will smooth path to the market place
January 27, 2005Researchers have discovered how to convert liver cells of mice into pancreatic cells using a single injection. This may eventually lead to a cure for diabetes. Dr. James Mittra, one of the organisers of an international conference in Edinburgh on the Evolution of the Life Science Industries asks, "How does the pharmaceutical industry respond to this kind of work? They are primarily interested in treatments, not cures. Do they see this kind of research as a threat?"
The question is far from academic. Major developments not only in biotech, but also in genomics and stem cell research now offer exciting and far-reaching opportunities for health care in conditions ranging from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease to genetic disorders. However the pharmaceutical companies who could otherwise be expected to bring the relevant treatments to the market place are facing turbulent relations with policy makers, regulators and members of the public.
Patents expert at the Edinburgh University School of Law, Dr. Graeme Laurie says, "How can property rights be granted over genes which, after all, seem to be no more than mere discoveries?" He goes on to ask "How appropriate is it to grant a monopoly over the building blocks of life or indeed life itself in the guise of genetically engineered organisms?"
Laurie quotes the recent severe set-back for Genentech Inc. who foresaw the therapeutic value of a protein occurring naturally in the human body that assists in the dissolution of blood clots. The company spent considerable sums in using recombinant DNA technology to bring the product to the brink of the marketplace and applied for a protective patent. But despite the company's outlay and effort, this was refused because several other companies had also been racing to develop the drug. Consequently although Genentech had won the contest, the development was legally deemed "an obvious next step" which is technically unpatentable.
The very substantial funds needed to discover and develop new blockbuster drugs are in any case already at risk because existing medically and financially successful drugs are nearing the end of their patent life. Added to this the industry now faces searching questions about how to bring radically new types of product such as drugs designed on the basis of ongoing genetic investigations, or stem-cell research to the market place.
What regulations will they face? How far will stakeholders and indeed the public accept the new drugs and who will work out safe medical procedures?
These are just some of the issues to be addressed at the forthcoming international conference on the Evolution of the Life Science Industries. Held by the Economic and Social Research Council's Centre for Social and Economic Research on Innovation in Genomics at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, it runs from 23 to 25 February. State of the art research, development and problems will be discussed and speakers with international reputations will begin to shape future pathways of innovation in the life sciences.
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Laurie quotes the recent severe set-back for Genentech Inc. who foresaw the therapeutic value of a protein occurring naturally in the human body that assists in the dissolution of blood clots. The company spent considerable sums in using recombinant DNA technology to bring the product to the brink of the marketplace and applied for a protective patent. But despite the company's outlay and effort, this was refused because several other companies had also been racing to develop the drug. Consequently although Genentech had won the contest, the development was legally deemed "an obvious next step" which is technically unpatentable.
The very substantial funds needed to discover and develop new blockbuster drugs are in any case already at risk because existing medically and financially successful drugs are nearing the end of their patent life. Added to this the industry now faces searching questions about how to bring radically new types of product such as drugs designed on the basis of ongoing genetic investigations, or stem-cell research to the market place.
What regulations will they face? How far will stakeholders and indeed the public accept the new drugs and who will work out safe medical procedures?
These are just some of the issues to be addressed at the forthcoming international conference on the Evolution of the Life Science Industries. Held by the Economic and Social Research Council's Centre for Social and Economic Research on Innovation in Genomics at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, it runs from 23 to 25 February. State of the art research, development and problems will be discussed and speakers with international reputations will begin to shape future pathways of innovation in the life sciences.
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Evolution News and Current Evolution Events RSSStudy: Delaying evolution of drug resistance in malaria parasite possible
There's no magic bullet for wiping out malaria, but a new study offers strong support for a method that effectively delays the evolution of drug resistance in malaria parasites, a University of Florida researcher says.
New evidence on the robustness of metabolic networks
Biological systems are constantly evolving in ways that increase their fitness for survival amidst environmental fluctuations and internal errors.
Gene enhancer in evolution of human opposable thumb
Scientists have discovered a gene enhancer, known as HACNS1, that may have contributed to the evolution of the uniquely opposable human thumb, and possibly also modifications in the ankle or foot that allow humans to walk on two legs.
Thumbs up -- a tiny ancestral remnant lends developmental edge to humans
Subtle genetic changes that confer an evolutionary advantage upon a species, such as the dexterity characteristic of the human hand, while difficult to detect and even harder to reproduce in a model system, have nevertheless generated keen interest amongst evolutionary biologists.
Molecular evolution is echoed in bat ears
Bats' ability to echolocate may have evolved more than once, according to research published this week by Queen Mary, University of London scientists.
New research challenges long-held assumptions of flightless bird evolution
Large flightless birds of the southern continents - African ostriches, Australian emus and cassowaries, South American rheas and the New Zealand kiwi - do not share a common flightless ancestor as once believed.
Closest Look Ever at the Edge of a Black Hole
Astronomers have taken the closest look ever at the giant black hole in the center of the Milky Way. By combining telescopes in Hawaii, Arizona, and California, they detected structure at a tiny angular scale of 37 micro-arcseconds - the equivalent of a baseball seen on the surface of the moon, 240,000 miles distant.
Trichoplax genome sequenced -- 'rosetta stone' for understanding evolution
Yale molecular and evolutionary biologists in collaboration with Department of Energy scientists produced the full genome sequence of Trichoplax, one of nature's most primitive multicellular organisms, providing a new insight into the evolution of all higher animals.
Characterization of grapevine transposons furthers understanding of in vino variety
The grapevine (Vitis vinifera) is a widely cultivated crop that has been subjected to intensive breeding since the Neolithic period (from ~10,500 to ~6,000 years ago). The domestication of grapevine has undergone a selection for traits important for its cultivation and usage.
Scientists develop new method to investigate origin of life
Scientists at Penn State have developed a new computational method that they say will help them to understand how life began on Earth.
More Evolution News Articles
 | The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle Ekhart Tolle's message is simple: living in the now is the truest path to happiness and enlightenment. And while this message may not seem stunningly original or fresh, Tolle's clear writing, supportive voice, and enthusiasm make this an excellent manual for anyone who's ever wondered what exactly "living in the now" means. Foremost, Tolle is a world-class teacher, able to explain complicated... |
 | Biology by Neil A. Campbell, Jane B. Reece Neil Campbell and Jane Reece's BIOLOGY remains unsurpassed as the most successful majors biology textbook in the world. This text has invited more than 4 million students into the study of this dynamic and essential discipline.The authors have restructured each chapter around a conceptual framework of five or six big ideas. An Overview draws students in and sets the stage for the rest of the... |
 | The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins In his sensational international bestseller, the preeminent scientist and outspoken atheist Richard Dawkins delivers a hard-hitting, impassioned, but humorous rebuttal of religious belief. With rigor and wit, Dawkins eviscerates the arguments for religion and demonstrates the supreme improbability of the existence of a supreme being. He makes a compelling case that faith is not just irrational,... |
 | Eat Right 4 Your Type: The Individualized Diet Solution to Staying Healthy, Living Longer & Achieving Your Ideal Weight by Peter J. D'Adamo If you've ever wondered why the latest fad diet doesn't work for you... well, there are lots of reasons, mostly the fact that it's a fad diet. But it could also be that you're the wrong blood type for the kinds of foods the diet recommends. Peter D'Adamo makes a persuasive argument that your blood type is an evolutionary marker that tells you which foods you'll process best, and which will be... |
 | Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond Explaining what William McNeill called The Rise of the West has become the central problem in the study of global history. In Guns, Germs, and Steel Jared Diamond presents the biologist's answer: geography, demography, and ecological happenstance. Diamond evenhandedly reviews human history on every continent since the Ice Age at a rate that emphasizes only the broadest movements of peoples and... |
 | The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition--with a new Introduction by the Author by Richard Dawkins Inheriting the mantle of revolutionary biologist from Darwin, Watson, and Crick, Richard Dawkins forced an enormous change in the way we see ourselves and the world with the publication of The Selfish Gene. Suppose, instead of thinking about organisms using genes to reproduce themselves, as we had since Mendel's work was rediscovered, we turn it around and imagine that "our" genes build and... |
 | Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique by Michael S. Gazzaniga One of the world's leading neuroscientists explores how best to understand the human condition by examining the biological, psychological, and highly social nature of our species within the social context of our lives. What happened along the evolutionary trail that made humans so unique? In his widely accessible style, Michael Gazzaniga looks to a broad range of studies to pinpoint the... |
 | Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body by Neil Shubin Oliver Sacks on Your Inner Fish Since the 1970 publication of Migraine, neurologist Oliver Sacks's unusual and fascinating case histories of "differently brained" people and phenomena--a surgeon with Tourette's syndrome, a community of people born totally colorblind, musical hallucinations, to name a few--have been marked by extraordinary compassion and humanity, focusing on the patient as much... |
 | Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires by Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks, Wayne W. Dyer For almost 20 years Jerry and Esther Hicks have been presenting workshops, producing tapes and writing books to help people create the life they desire. And desire is no small word in this agenda. According to the teachings of "Abraham"--a collective name for the spiritual entities that are channeled through Esther--desire is a good and natural force within us. In fact, we are all here to fulfill... |
 | The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan Working in his garden one day, Michael Pollan hit pay dirt in the form of an idea: do plants, he wondered, use humans as much as we use them? While the question is not entirely original, the way Pollan examines this complex coevolution by looking at the natural world from the perspective of plants is unique. The result is a fascinating and engaging look at the true nature of domestication. In... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |