100 Gigabases of DNA and RNA in the Public Domain
Human and mouse genomes have about 3 billion DNA base pairs on average. Because every cell in the body has both DNA and RNA (the second type of nucleic acid needed to make protein), there are a zillion kajillion bases floating around in your body (give or take another kajillion).
After almost 20 years of collaboration, the world’s three leading public repositories for DNA and RNA sequence information have reached a milestone of 100 gigabases or 100 billion bases of sequence (just a little less than the number of stars in the Milky Way). The three members of the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration (INSDC) are EMBL Bank in Hinxton, UK; GenBank in Bethesda, USA; and the DNA Data Bank of Japan in Mishima, Japan. The INSDC’s aim is to faciliate the transfer of DNA sequence information into the public domain so that all scientists can have free and open access.
Graham Cameron, Associate Director of EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute, says “This is an important milestone in the history of the nucleotide sequence databases. From the first EMBL Data Library entry made available in 1982 to today’s provision of over 55 million sequence entries from at least 200,000 different organisms, these resources have anticipated the needs of molecular biologists and addressed them - often in the face of a serious lack of resources.”
This INSDC achievement must be disappointing to those who are hoping to get in on patenting genes.
PhysOrg.com, August 22, 2005
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POSTED IN: General Genetics and Health
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2 opinions for 100 Gigabases of DNA and RNA in the Public Domain
Marie Connett
Feb 11, 2007 at 10:16 pm
Unfortunately, the fact that these sequences are available to be read by the public in a publicly funded database does not mean that they are all “in the public domain”.
Even if getting the sequences was publicly funded at taxpayer expense, many of them are not “in the public domain”. This can happen if patent applications were filed on the sequences within a certain time of publication, which is common practice.
Indeed, scientists who work on them may find that their work cannot be continued into development of products, even products for the public good, without first negotiating with private interests and paying for commercial licenses.
Moreover, scientists who work on these sequences may find that their work serves to strengthen the negotiating position of the patentee!
Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD
Feb 12, 2007 at 10:55 am
Marie: Thanks for your comment! I’m glad someone as knowledgeable as you has come to teach us more. I’ll be sure to visit Patent Lens to do more research on gene patents.
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