BerkiGEM2007Present6
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Human Practices
Human Practices examines the way synthetic biology might inform human security, health, and welfare through the new objects that synthetic biology brings into the world. It also observes the ways in which economic, political, and cultural forces may shape the development of synthetic biology.
Summer Work
I focused my investigation on the patentability of Bacto Blood where its parts are in an open source forum given that there are existing patents on oxygen-based therapeutics. If it were possible to patent Bacto Blood, how could my team obtain patent protection for their product? Bacto Blood is patentable even with having its parts in an open source forum. Though it gets tricky, for then two questions arise:
1. Understanding that Bacto Blood can be patented: what is patentable, the part(s) or the application of the part(s)?
2. What starts the timeline for the patent application: when the part is put on the registry or when the application of the part is made public?