Correspondence

Commercialization, patenting and genomics: researcher perspectives

CJ Murdoch ¹ and Timothy Caulfield ¹*

• * Corresponding author: Timothy Caulfield tcaulfld@law.ualberta.ca

Author Affiliations

¹ Health Law Institute, Law Centre, University of Alberta, 89th Avenue and 111th Street, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H5, Canada

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Genome Medicine 2009, 1:22doi:10.1186/gm22

Published: 19 February 2009

Abstract

The impact of commercialization and patenting pressure on genomics research is still a topic of considerable debate in academic, policy and popular literature. We interviewed genomic researchers to see if their perspectives offered fresh insights. Regional Genome Canada centers provided us with relevant researcher contact information, and in-depth structured interviews were conducted. Researcher perspectives were sharply divided, with both support and concern for commercialization regimes surfacing in interviews. Data withholding and publication delays were commonly reported, but the aggressive enforcement of patents was not. There are parallels to the Stem Cell community in Canada in these respects. Genomic researchers, as individuals directly implicated in the field of controversy, have developed varied and often novel insights which should be incorporated into the ongoing debates surrounding commercialization and patenting. Many researchers continue to raise concerns, particularly in relation to data withholding, thus emphasizing the need for a continued exploration of the complex issues associated with commercialization and patenting.