美国国家公共电台 NPR Broad Institute Wins Big Battle Over CRISPR Gene-Editing Patent

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

We have the story this morning of a patent - a very, very lucrative¹ patent.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

It is for a tool called CRISPR. Sounds like a kitchen instrument, doesn't it? But it's actually a high-tech² gene-editing tool.

INSKEEP: Which is worth billions of dollars. And the U.S. Patent Office has delivered a potentially lucrative victory to the Broad Institute in Massachusetts. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

RICHARD HARRIS, BYLINE³: CRISPR is shaping up to play a big role in medicine and medical research because it can edit DNA⁴ with unprecedented⁵ accuracy. Who has the right to profit from the technology? Yesterday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark⁶ Office said patents issued to the Broad Institute, and then challenged by UC Berkeley, are in fact valid⁷.

JACOB SHERKOW: It's a pretty monumental decision here.

HARRIS: Jake Sherkow is an associate professor at the New York Law School. He's been tracking the dispute closely.

SHERKOW: It seems to reward the most valuable aspects of CRISPR to the Broad Institute over the University of California, Berkeley.

HARRIS: The proceedings⁸ aren't entirely⁹ settled, but as Sherkow sees the situation, the Broad Institute - a joint¹⁰ venture of Harvard and MIT - will hold a patent for using CRISPR in human beings, other animals and plants. His view is that Berkeley's patent, which has not yet been issued, could be limited to bacteria.

SHERKOW: Obviously, the patents covering the application of this technology to human cells, those are going to be much more financially valuable than using the same technology in bacteria because one can develop drugs and other therapies from them.

HARRIS: Investors¹¹ agreed with this assessment¹². The value of companies that were spun¹³ off to license¹⁴ the Broad patents rose sharply while the company based on the Berkeley patent lost value. And potentially tens of billions of dollars are at stake here, both for the companies and the universities. Jennifer Doudna at UC Berkeley discovered the biology that underlies¹⁵ this technology along with a European colleague, Emmanuelle Charpentier. Doudna isn't convinced that Berkeley is the big loser here. She said the ruling paves the way for her patent application to move forward.

JENNIFER DOUDNA: So we're looking forward to having our patent issued. And, you know, our patent is a very broad patent that covers the composition and the use of this technology in all cell types.

HARRIS: If the patent office rules the way Doudna hopes it will, people wanting to use the CRISPR technology in higher organisms will have to get licenses¹⁶ from both Berkeley and the Broad Institute.

DOUDNA: That's the thing that I think is a bit crazy about the way that the decision comes down is that that's where it leaves the field is this sort of situation where a license would be necessary from both parties. There's not further clarity at this stage.

HARRIS: Another possibility - Berkeley could appeal yesterday's ruling and once again challenge the Broad Institute's patents. Doudna says the university hasn't decided¹⁷ what to do just yet. Richard Harris, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF BERRY WEIGHT'S "YETI'S LAMENT")

1 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

2 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

5 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

6 trademark   

n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标

参考例句：

• The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
• The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。

7 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

8 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

9 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

10 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

11 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

12 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

13 spun   

v.纺，杜撰，急转身

参考例句：

• His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。
• Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。

14 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

15 underlies   

v.位于或存在于（某物）之下( underlie的第三人称单数 )；构成…的基础（或起因），引起

参考例句：

• I think a lack of confidence underlies his manner. 我认为他表现出的态度是因为他缺乏信心。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Try to figure out what feeling underlies your anger. 努力找出你的愤怒之下潜藏的情感。 来自辞典例句

16 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

17 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。