Stem cell patents and the European Court of Justice
On 10 March 2011 the Advocate General of the European Court of Justice gave his opinion on a long-running legal battle over patenting of a technique that uses embryonic stem cells. The Advocate General has considered that it should not be possible to allow patents to be derived from research involving human embryonic stem cells because it ‘would be contrary to ethics and public policy’.
Several leading European stem cell researchers have written an open letter to Nature, expressing profound concerns about this opinion and its potential to impact stem cell research in Europe. This opinion, if implemented, could have a serious detrimental impact on the biotechnology and regenerative medicine industries in Europe, and could lead to innovative new therapies being trialled elsewhere.
You can read more about the background to this case, and sign the open letter, on the EuroStemCell website.
