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The role of private business has been critical to the success
of his scientific research, says Dr. Alex MacKenzie.
In the mid-1990s, Dr. MacKenzie was a key player in the creation
of a biotech start-up company based on his lab's discovery, and
in the patenting of spinal muscular
atrophy genes.
"There's now been more than $30-million spent on this class
of genes. And it looks like they have a role in neuronal death and
in cancer. It's work that if the patents hadn't been issued, and
the biotech company had not been started, would not have happened,"
says Dr. MacKenzie.
Alan Bernstein says that the challenge is one of balance.
"If we're going to succeed as a country in developing the
next insulin, and benefiting ourselves from it, we have to capture
some of the economic value of that," says Alan Bernstein.
Individual Canadians have a role to play in how we achieve this
balance, says Pauline Tardif. Whether as taxpayers, donors
to research organizations, or investors, we are all financing genomics
research.
Says Ms. Tardif, "I encourage you to ask questions about the
integrity of the research happening in the organizations you support."
| Abby Lippman's three key ways
to avoid the downsides of commercial pressures on the development
of genetic tests:
- No direct-to-consumer advertising of genetic tests.
- No patents on any life forms.
- Genetic testing should be publicly funded.
For an example of direct-to-consumer advertising, see Myriad
Genetics current U.S. television ad for its BRCA genetic
test. |
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