Vrtovec KT, Scott CT. Patenting pluripotency: the next battle for stem cell intellectual property. Nature – Biotechnology. 2008 Apr;26(4): 393-5.
The authors discuss the rationale behind recent USPTO decisions in the reexamination of WARF patents, issues of patentability in stem cell, concerns raised by consumer-rights organizations in the WARF patent case, new patent issues raised by the discovery of iPSCs, and the impact of iPSC discoveries on stem cell patent law.
*Zarzeczny A, Scott C, Hyun I, Bennett J, Chandler J, Chargé S, Heine H, Isasi R, Kato K, Lovell-Badge R, McNagny K, Pei D, Rossant J, Surani A, Taylor PL, Ogbogu U, Caulfield T. iPS cells: mapping the policy issues. Cell. 2009 Dec 11;139(6): 1032-7.
Research on induced pluripotent stem cells is fast-paced and groundbreaking. However, the legal and ethical issues surrounding iPSCs have yet to be thoroughly discussed and resolved. In this article, the authors discuss issues relevant to iPSC technology such as the protection of the privacy of iPSC donors, the challenges of intellectual property rights, the ethical uses of these cells and others.
Caulfield T, Scott C, Hyun I, Lovell-Badge R, Kato K, Zarzeczny A. Stem cell research policy and iPS cells. Nature – Methods. 2010 Jan;7(1): 28-33.
The field of induced pluripotent stem cells is and up-and-coming field that will be subject to research ethics policies that exist due to the controversies that have surrounded embryonic stem cells. Many countries have developed stem cell research regulatory frameworks. The applicability of and impact on iPSCs of these existing frameworks is analyzed.
*Simon BM, Murdoch CE, Scott CT. Pluripotent patents make prime time: an analysis of the emerging landscape. Nature – Biotechnology. 2010 June; 28(6): 557-559.
The authors look at the general patent landscape and consider three patents in iPS to determine their ultimate value in the field.
Georgieva BP, Love JM. Human induced pluripotent stem cells: a review of the US patent landscape. Regenerative Medicine. 2010 July; 5(4): 581-91.
Since iPS cells are not derived from human embryos, they are a less complicated source of human pluripotent cells and are considered valuable research tools and potentially useful in therapeutic applications in regenerative medicine. Worldwide, there are only three issued patents concerning iPS cells. Therefore, the patent landscape in this field is largely undefined. This article provides an overview of the issued patents as well as the pending published patent applications in the field.
*Note: entries are presented in chronological order within each category. Entries marked with an asterisk are those that we found to be particularly helpful as we developed materials for this project.
Proprietary Challenges in Stem Cell Research 