1 / 14

The History of Cloning Vector pBR322 Scientific and Intellectual Property Considerations

The History of Cloning Vector pBR322 Scientific and Intellectual Property Considerations. Anu Kotha IGSP Center for Genome Ethics, Law & Policy. Objectives. Analyze the atmosphere and motivations for engineering pBR322 Evaluate “open science” sharing of pBR322

Albert_Lan
Download Presentation

The History of Cloning Vector pBR322 Scientific and Intellectual Property Considerations

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. The History of Cloning Vector pBR322Scientific and Intellectual Property Considerations Anu Kotha IGSP Center for Genome Ethics, Law & Policy

  2. Objectives • Analyze the atmosphere and motivations for engineering pBR322 • Evaluate “open science” sharing of pBR322 • Uncover reasons for not patenting pBR322 • Study dissemination rates of pBR322 compared to patented technologies

  3. Methods • Personal interviews with Dr. Ray Rodriguez & Dr. Axel Ullrich • Publicly available interviews of Dr. Herb Boyer, Mr. Bob Swanson, Dr. Paul Berg, & Dr. Mary Betlach • Scientific articles and other scholarly works • Web of Science, United States Patent Office, and Delphion Citation and Patent Searches

  4. Early Recombinant DNA Controversy • Berg’s recombinant DNA methods • Asilomar I • Cohen-Boyer • Voluntary Moratorium • Asilomar II

  5. Creation of pBR322 • Scientists and public concerned about the safety of recombinant DNA • After Asilomar II all recombinant DNA work stops in Boyer Lab • Postdocs Bolivar & Rodriguez engineer a safer and easier to use vector- pBR322 Bolivar and Rodriguez

  6. Advantages of pBR322 • Combination of ampicillin and tetracycline resistance • Increased replication rate • Significantly reduced chance of conjugal transfer of vector

  7. “Open Science” Sharing of pBR322 • Collaborators of Boyer lab received vector immediately • Presentations about pBR322 at conferences increased demand • Vector distributed without discrimination • Rapid dissemination of pBR322 despite NIH’s reluctance to both certify and approve vector Boyer Lab

  8. Reasons for Not Patenting pBR322 • Not realizing patent potential of vector • Negative scientific attitudes towards intellectual property protection • Complications resulting from Boyer lab’s collaboration with Genentech Whatever the reason, not patenting pBR322 was a major loss of potential revenue for UCSF

  9. pBR322 Today • Still a popular commercial vector • Numerous derivatives of pBR322 • “It is more meaningful to me that the original paper is not referred to anymore in a large number of papers, perhaps having achieved wide recognition.”- Bolivar

  10. Citation Trends Maxam-Gilbert pBR322 PCR

  11. Attitudes Today • Recombinant DNA is basis of hot research and biotech industry • Scientists more accepting of intellectual property protection of their results • Patents viewed as source of more research funding

  12. Conclusions • pBR322 engineered in response to fear of recombinant DNA • High demand and safe use of pBR322 helped catalyze acceptance of recombinant DNA research • pBR322 created during time of ideological shift in biological sciences • pBR322 openly shared • Patenting pBR322 may have not significantly altered its dissemination into scientific community

  13. Acknowledgements • Dr. Cook-Deegan • Dr. Ilse Wiechers • GELP Team

  14. Questions?

More Related