I will forever angry about how capitalist obsession with intellectual property has fucked over the progression of genetic sequencing.
Like, you have all these next gen genome sequencing techniques like Sanger sequencing. But because the methodology for them is heavily patented, research in the genetic screening techniques have largely focused on doing the same thing in legally distinct ways. The end result is that screening techniques haven't really gotten much better or more efficient in years.
The best minds in genetics are all locked away in separate labs unable to properly iterate and improve gene sequencing because the most profitable research (and therefore the most important to pharma corporations) is to develop as many of these techniques as possible and then squat on the patents.
It's awful! I hate IP laws for several reasons, but we can't share data in medicine because different companies own research.
We don't have access to collective knowledge because it's not profitable. And then there are the little bits of capitalism that further hinder research innovations: paywalls, different user interfaces for different sites making it hard to cross-reference information, junk studies that were published because somebody wanted to make a quick buck.
I will forever angry about how capitalist obsession with intellectual property has fucked over the progression of genetic sequencing.
Like, you have all these next gen genome sequencing techniques like Sanger sequencing. But because the methodology for them is heavily patented, research in the genetic screening techniques have largely focused on doing the same thing in legally distinct ways. The end result is that screening techniques haven't really gotten much better or more efficient in years.
The best minds in genetics are all locked away in separate labs unable to properly iterate and improve gene sequencing because the most profitable research (and therefore the most important to pharma corporations) is to develop as many of these techniques as possible and then squat on the patents.
It's awful! I hate IP laws for several reasons, but we can't share data in medicine because different companies own research.
We don't have access to collective knowledge because it's not profitable. And then there are the little bits of capitalism that further hinder research innovations: paywalls, different user interfaces for different sites making it hard to cross-reference information, junk studies that were published because somebody wanted to make a quick buck.
Patent law just needs to not exist.
Best possible system that encourages innovation.