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Bostanci, Adam; Calvert, Jane; Joly, Pierre-Benoit --- "Regulating Gene Regulation: Patenting Small RNAs" [2012] ELECD 138; in Rimmer, Matthew; McLennan, Alison (eds), "Intellectual Property and Emerging Technologies" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012)

Book Title: Intellectual Property and Emerging Technologies

Editor(s): Rimmer, Matthew; McLennan, Alison

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781849802468

Section: Chapter 8

Section Title: Regulating Gene Regulation: Patenting Small RNAs

Author(s): Bostanci, Adam; Calvert, Jane; Joly, Pierre-Benoit

Number of pages: 23

Extract:

8. Regulating gene regulation:
patenting small RNAs
Adam Bostanci, Jane Calvert and
Pierre-Benoit Joly

Much has been written on the revolution in the life sciences that has taken
place over the last 20 years. Perhaps the most important development has
been an increasing recognition of complexity in biology, which has led to
the emergence of new fields of research such as systems biology and
epigenetics. In this chapter, we focus on one recent conceptual shift in
particular: the shift away from gene-centric understandings of biological
processes. This shift has been fed by ­ and has reinforced interest in ­
research on small RNAs, thanks to the recognition of the role of these
molecules in many crucial biological processes. Small RNAs and the
phenomenon of RNA interference (RNAi) have been seen as therapeuti-
cally and commercially promising, to the extent that some prominent
commentators have spoken about a patenting `gold rush' in this area.1
In the first section of the chapter, we characterise the patent system in
general terms and highlight some recent developments with respect to
inventions in the life sciences. We then give some background to the
discovery that opened up the field of RNA interference and was eventually
rewarded with the Nobel Prize to Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 2006. We
go on to briefly describe the mechanism of RNA interference, and show
that it is now thought of as part of a more general and only partially
understood RNA silencing system. This has implications for ...