Catherine Rhodes

Potential International Approaches to Ownership/Control of Human Genetic Resources

Abstract In its governance activities for genetic resources, the international community has adopted various approaches to their ownership, including: free access; common heritage of mankind; intellectual property rights; and state sovereign rights. They have also created systems which combine elements of these approaches. While governance of plant and animal genetic resources is well-established internationally, there has not yet been a clear approach selected for human genetic resources. Based on assessment of the goals which international governance of human genetic resources ought to serve, and the implications for how they will be accessed and utilised, it is argued that common heritage of mankind will be the most appropriate approach to adopt to their ownership/control. It does this with the aim of stimulating discussion in this area and providing a starting point for deeper consideration of how a common heritage of mankind, or similar, regime for human genetic resources would function and be implemented.

Provider, patient and public benefits from a NICE appraisal of bevacizumab (Avastin)

There are several good reasons for the UK Department of Health to recommend the appraisal of bevacizumab for the treatment of eye conditions by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. These reasons will extend to other drugs when similar situations arise in the future.

Scientific Responsibility and Development

We face many significant global challenges today; science and technology are essential elements in addressing all of these challenges. With the ability to make major contributions to development, the scientific community has a connected responsibility to do so, which fits closely with the core scientific goal of benefiting humanity. This article explores the meaning of scientific responsibility in relation to development, particularly within the global context.Le monde fait face aujourd’hui à de nombreux défis importants, et la science et la technologie sont des éléments clés pour les relever. Ceci est en particulier vrai des questions de développement, auxquelles la communauté scientifique a la capacité et même une responsabilité d’apporter des contributions, car les idéaux associés au développement sont étroitement liés au but scientifique de bénéficier l’humanité toute entière. Cet essai explore donc l’importance et la signification de la responsabilité scientifique, plus particulièrement dans le contexte du développement global.

The ‘ownership’ of science

Dr Catherine Rhodes is a research fellow at the Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation specialising in the international regulations relevant to control of biotechnology. Professor John Harris is director of the Institute and has particular interest in biomedical ethics and medical jurisprudence. Sarah Chan is deputy director of the Institute. Professor Sir John Sulston was the founding director of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Centre in Cambridge from 1992 to 2000, where so much of the sequencing of the human genome was completed in a furious race to publish before American commercial interests patented. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2002.