Federal technology transfer and the Human Genome Project / Congress of the United States, Office of Technology Assessment.

  • United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment.
Date:
[1995]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Federal technology transfer and the Human Genome Project / Congress of the United States, Office of Technology Assessment. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    echnology transfer involves converting scientific knowledge into com- mercially useful products. As an interest of the U.S. government, technology transfer is not a new issue; the federal government has had _laws and policies encouraging innovation dating back to the Patent Act of 1790. Nearly two centuries later, the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 marked the first in a series of measures enacted by Congress to enhance technology transfer of federally funded research. Today, U.S. preeminence in biomedical research and industrial biotechnology stands, in part, as a striking example of successful technology transfer. Against this backdrop, the United States and other countries have embarked on an estimated 15-year, $3 billion initiative to map and sequence the entire hu- man genetic blueprint, or genome, and since 1985, Congress has appropriated nearly $1 billion for the Human Genome Project. The project has been under- taken with the expectation that enhanced knowledge about genetic disorders, increased understanding of gene-environment interactions, and improved ge- netic diagnoses can advance therapies for the 5,000 or so currently recognized human genetic conditions. As with other areas of biomedical research, the ex- pectation is that the results of genome research will yield commercially valu- able products of benefit to human health. Given the government’s investment in genome research, what role has technology transfer played to date? Federal Technology Transfer and the Human Genome Project analyzes uni- versities’, companies’, and researchers’ experiences and perspectives since enactment of federal laws to enhance technology transfer—especially as it per- tains to research funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy, the agencies funding U.S. efforts in the Human Genome Project. The background paper was requested by Senator Mark O. Hatfield, Chairman, Committee on Appropriations and Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Ranking Mi- nority, Committee on Labor and Human Resources. OTA prepared this background paper with the assistance of a panel of advi- sors and reviewers selected for their expertise and diverse points of view. Addi- tionally, hundreds of individuals cooperated with OTA staff through interviews or by providing written material. These authorities were drawn from govern- ment, academia, industry, and professional societies worldwide. OTA grateful- ly acknowledges the contribution of each of these individuals. As with all OTA reports, however, responsibility for the content is OTA’s alone. FICE LO ROGER C. HERDMAN Director oreword