Patenting the Human Genome With Law Professor Jorge L. Contreras

In this episode, I interview Law Professor Jorge Contreras about the past, present, and future of biotech companies patenting the human genome. Jorge L. Contreras received his law degree from Harvard and teaches intellectual property, science policy, antitrust law and genetics law at the University of Utah. His scholarship has appeared in Science, Nature, NYU Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal, Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, and other leading journals. He has been featured on NPR, PRI and BBC radio, and his opinions have been cited by news outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Economist, and Washington Post. He is the author of The Genome Defense: Inside the Epic Legal Battle to Control Who Owns Your DNA. You can buy the book, find out more about it, see primary documents relating to the legal battle, get further reading suggestions, or participate in discussions at https://genomedefense.org. 04:48 How many naturally occurring human gene patents are currently on the books? 09:04 What does it mean, in a practical sense, for a human gene to be patented? 16:36 When did the patenting of human genes start? 28:29 The global race to find the "breast cancer gene," first private company to patent a natural human gene 39:13 The legal battle to overturn the patenting of human genes 48:32 The solicitor general's bizarre cDNA vs gDNA compromise wins the day; Big Diagnostics hurt; Big Pharma survives 1:06:51 Do patents help or hurt innovation? 1:10:53 The C-word virus's genome would have been patented, but wasn't because of the 2013 Supreme Court decision; why the juices but not the virus can be patented 1:16:30 His role in the Open C-Word Pledge 1:23:16 Thinking about the future of widespread or even mandatory prophylactic gene therapy 1:33:31 What if a small number of companies race to engineer us into Microsoft-style or Apple-style operating systems and related ecosystems using prophylactic gene therapy? 1:38:41 Efforts to overturn the 2013 Supreme Court decision: all eyes on Congress for the next couple of years During this critical time where our freedom of health and freedom of speech is in imminent danger, and where tens of thousands of people are facing imminent job losses as the result of medical mandates, I am devoting my analytical skills full time toward the battle for health freedom. This includes working directly with lawyers in lawsuits over mandates, lockdowns, and the current standard of care, scientifically analyzing the safety, efficacy, and risks of mandated medical treatments and their alternatives as well as ways to mitigate their harms, publishing my findings in scientific journals and sharing them with you. It is my firm conviction that this is the most important gift I can offer the world right now, and I view this as a needed public service. I would be extremely grateful if you could support me during this time. At https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/support, you can purchase one of my information products in amounts ranging from $3 to $30, or take advantage of my consulting services for more. You can also make a purchase using one of my affiliate links to buy something you would have bought anyway at no extra cost to you. Finally, at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/donate, you can make a donation in any amount. In a world increasingly dominated by censorship, we may have censored certain words in this video in order to protect the show and keep our community connected. To make sure we stay together as a community, please join my newsletter at chrismasterjohnphd.com/newsletter, where I can guarantee that I'll never deplatform myself. This interview was recorded during a Live Zoom recording, where members of the CMJ Masterpass sat in and submitted comments and questions in the live chat. If you would like to sit in on future interviews I conduct with the chance to contribute questions, sign up for the Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass and use the code INTERVIEW for 10% off the membership fee for as long as you remain a member. Masterpass members also have access to a transcript and to the uncensored video and audio. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe as well. Thank you for your support! Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome.