Sharing laboratory resources genetically altered mice, summary of a workshop held at the National Academy of Sciences, March 23-24, 1993
The abilities to add tailored genes to the mouse genome as 'transgenes' and to alter normal genes by 'targeted mutations' have transformed the study of what can be considered the best animal model of human development and disease. Because the methods are not trivial, the animals...
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
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Washington (DC)
National Academies Press (US)
1994, 1994
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| Online Access: | |
| Collection: | National Center for Biotechnology Information - Collection details see MPG.ReNa |
| Summary: | The abilities to add tailored genes to the mouse genome as 'transgenes' and to alter normal genes by 'targeted mutations' have transformed the study of what can be considered the best animal model of human development and disease. Because the methods are not trivial, the animals are expensive to maintain, and each new strain has unique properties that are time-consuming to characterize, investigators understandably place great value on the lines they have generated. Under these circumstances, the incentives to share the mice with an industrial partner can be strong: simplified distribution to academic colleagues who also want the mice, financial rewards for the investigators and their sponsoring institutions, and the promise of useful products derived from further work with the mice in the private sector. But there are disadvantages as well: excessive charges and restrictive licensing might actually impede further study of the mice, and the perception of profiteering from the immediate products of federally sponsored research might undermine public confidence in the scientific community and raise ethical and legal issues. Those concerns received public airing in the middle of 1992 when a private biotechnology firm began to sell mice that carried an important targeted mutation under terms that many in the scientific community considered to be excessively expensive and inappropriately restrictive. In September 1992, the issues were openly discussed in an impromptu afternoon session attended by about 300 people at the Cold Spring Harbor Meeting on Mouse Molecular Genetics. As the moderator of that heated session, I was impressed by the complexity of the issues, the depth of feeling about them, and their potential effects on traditional norms and values in science. I therefore proposed to the Board of Biology, which I then chaired, that a workshop be held early in 1993 to consider genetically altered laboratory mice as a model with which to evaluate the elements that influence the sharing of scientific reagents. The workshop was held at the National Academy of Sciences on March 23 and 24, 1993, and this short report summarizes the views expressed by representatives of the community, academic institutions, the government, and several kinds of companies. Although the forum was intended to provoke the voicing of opinions and not to lead to specific recommendations, the events of the 2 days had an important role in clarifying the central questions, providing factual information, and setting the course of action that has occurred since the meeting. I believe that further dissemination of the proceedings through this summary can extend the value of the workshop in the context of this and future debates over mice and other laboratory tools |
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| Item Description: | Title from Bookshelf entry page |
| Physical Description: | 1 online resource |