Law & Biomedical Advance

This course will examine the ways in which law relates to latest advances in biomedicine, including precision medicine; CRISPR technology; and bioinformatics: DNA and mRNA as carriers of encoded information. The sequencing of the human genome has brought us sophisticated genetic testing, screening and the possibility of human genetic modification. These are relatively new arrivals in doctors and pharmaceutical companies array of offerings. Genetic modification and the cloning of genes, and indeed whole organisms, raise new questions for lawyers, whether they specialize in HIPAA or other aspects of privacy law; health insurance; or intellectual property law. Fascinating questions of constitutional law must now also be addressed, as is illustrated by litigation instigated by the Association for Molecular Pathology, the ACLU and others against a company holding patents on human genes. The new synthetic biology, which involves the creation of organisms in laboratories, will also be considered, in terms of the novel legal questions that it raises. The several intersections between biotechnology and digital technology will be examined, as will three parent embryos; chimeras and other related technologies which spark legal and ethical issues. No prior knowledge of either biotechnology or intellectual property law is necessary for this class, which will be conducted in an open discussion format, online synchronously, with an online take home exam.