News about the Innovation Law and Tech Program or news about faculty or students that relates to law and technology
Polygenic testing startups offer consumers the chance of a “superbaby” by screening for genetic disorders and allowing parents to select certain embryos for fertilization; however, the ethics and the science of this practice are very controversial. Speaking to The San Francisco Standard, Professor Jacob Sherkow added his expertise on the issue. “[These companies] claim to […]
One of the most concerning aspects of genetic testing company 23andMe filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Professor Sara Gerke writes in a new article published in BMJ, is the range of information the company holds. Along with her co-authors, Gerke explores the issues presented by the genetic information, such as from saliva samples, self-reported health and […]
Professor Jacob Sherkow recently had the chance to present his research, “A Sociotechnical Approach to Genomic Data Security: A Comparative Legal Analysis,” to the Law, Medicine and Life Sciences group at the University of Cambridge Faculty of Law. In addition to his position at the College of Law, where he serves as director of the […]
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in May that the key patents on what many consider the defining biotechnology invention of the 21st century should be reconsidered. Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier shared a 2020 Nobel Prize for developing the versatile gene-editing system CRISPR; however, the key patent rights were granted Feng Zhang […]
Pulse oximeters are known to be less accurate for patients with darker skin, but manufacturers have not changed their design or included a warning label disclosing this information. A recent settlement and guidance from the FDA could prompt changes in the market, however. In a new paper published in JAMA, Professor Sara Gerke and her […]
Colossal Biosciences is making headlines with its bold initiative to bring back the woolly mammoth, but the venture raises significant ethical and legal questions. Professor Jacob Sherkow is quoted in a new article from the MIT Technology Review about the complexities surrounding intellectual property in de-extinction efforts. He notes that while natural animals cannot be […]
The bankruptcy of the genetic testing company 23andMe has raised a number of issues, but one specifically prudent issue is the lack of legislation preventing the sale of customers’ data due to financial exigencies. Speaking with the Illinois News Bureau, Professor Sara Gerke explained why this issue is significant. “Companies like 23andMe are sitting on […]
Professor Sara Gerke was co-organizer of the Life Sciences AI Summit – Europe, which took place March 25–26, 2025, in Brussels, Belgium. The conference covered the ways in which artificial intelligence in the life sciences is affecting topics such as drug discovery and development as well as improving patient outcomes. Another important aspect of the […]
Professor Paul Heald delivered a lecture on Recent Empirical Research in Intellectual Property Law at the University of Glasgow on March 17. Part of their CREATe series of public lectures, Professor Heald discussed successes and failures in recent research projects and highlighted advances in methodology made by various researchers in empirical approaches to copyright, patent, trademark, […]
If 23andMe goes bankrupt, what happens to their millions of customers’ personal and genetic data? Sara Gerke, Melissa B. Jacoby, and I. Glenn Cohen explore this issue in a new article published on March 2 in the New England Journal of Medicine, titled “Bankruptcy, Genetic Information, and Privacy — Selling Personal Information.” The data are […]