Myles W. Jackson
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780262028660
- eISBN:
- 9780262327190
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262028660.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
This book uses the story of the CCR5 gene to investigate the interrelationships among science, technology, and society. Mapping the varied ‘genealogy’ of CCR5- intellectual property, natural ...
More
This book uses the story of the CCR5 gene to investigate the interrelationships among science, technology, and society. Mapping the varied ‘genealogy’ of CCR5- intellectual property, natural selection, Big and Small Pharma, human diversity studies, personalized medicine, ancestry studies, and race and genomics, this historical study links a myriad of diverse topics. The history of CCR5 from the 1990s to the present offers a vivid illustration of how intellectual property law has changed the conduct and content of scientific knowledge, and the social, political, and ethical implications of such a transformation. Because this gene codes for the HIV-co-receptor, this account explores how Big and Small Pharma alike drew upon state-of-the-art research to come up with a new form of HIV/AIDS treatment. An important mutation of the gene renders its fortunate possesses by and large immune to AIDS. Since this mutation is found in some populations with a much greater frequency than others, the gene also serves as a prime example of how molecular biology has been drawn into debates about race. Finally, this book discusses the relevance of history of science to current science policy issues.Less
This book uses the story of the CCR5 gene to investigate the interrelationships among science, technology, and society. Mapping the varied ‘genealogy’ of CCR5- intellectual property, natural selection, Big and Small Pharma, human diversity studies, personalized medicine, ancestry studies, and race and genomics, this historical study links a myriad of diverse topics. The history of CCR5 from the 1990s to the present offers a vivid illustration of how intellectual property law has changed the conduct and content of scientific knowledge, and the social, political, and ethical implications of such a transformation. Because this gene codes for the HIV-co-receptor, this account explores how Big and Small Pharma alike drew upon state-of-the-art research to come up with a new form of HIV/AIDS treatment. An important mutation of the gene renders its fortunate possesses by and large immune to AIDS. Since this mutation is found in some populations with a much greater frequency than others, the gene also serves as a prime example of how molecular biology has been drawn into debates about race. Finally, this book discusses the relevance of history of science to current science policy issues.
Myles W. Jackson
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780262028660
- eISBN:
- 9780262327190
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262028660.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
In the last years of the 20th century, the CCR5 gene and its protein product became the objects of state-of-the-art work on diagnostics and drug treatment. The CCR5 patent’s lineage is now the ...
More
In the last years of the 20th century, the CCR5 gene and its protein product became the objects of state-of-the-art work on diagnostics and drug treatment. The CCR5 patent’s lineage is now the subject of biomedical research on chemokine receptors and is entangled in the complex political, social, and biomedical lineages of HIV/AIDS with Big Pharma playing the lead role. The gene’s genealogy has been humanized and inextricably linked to the lives of the tens of millions infected worldwide. Once again, intellectual property issues resurface. HIV/AIDS diagnostic tests and medications have been patented by Big and Small Pharma alike, and the ramifications of those patents have been felt worldwide, including India, where attempts are underway to create generic drugs, which bind to the HIV-co-receptor.Less
In the last years of the 20th century, the CCR5 gene and its protein product became the objects of state-of-the-art work on diagnostics and drug treatment. The CCR5 patent’s lineage is now the subject of biomedical research on chemokine receptors and is entangled in the complex political, social, and biomedical lineages of HIV/AIDS with Big Pharma playing the lead role. The gene’s genealogy has been humanized and inextricably linked to the lives of the tens of millions infected worldwide. Once again, intellectual property issues resurface. HIV/AIDS diagnostic tests and medications have been patented by Big and Small Pharma alike, and the ramifications of those patents have been felt worldwide, including India, where attempts are underway to create generic drugs, which bind to the HIV-co-receptor.
