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Crowdsourcing—using the collective talent of the Internet to solve problems—has been increasingly used to solve problems and find solutions in the computer software and electronics industry. Over the past few years, several forward-thinking life scientists had proposed the idea that crowdsourcing could possibly be used to solve the molecular structure of proteins that could be used as drug targets. To bring this possibility to reality, in 2008 a team of scientists at the University of Washington created an online, interactive, protein-folding game call Foldit that showcased the principle and properties of protein biochemistry. The thought was that Foldit and its worldwide cadre of users could be used to solve the molecular structure of certain proteins. Since 2008, over 100,000 have downloaded Foldit software and turned into a large, worldwide, multiplayer competition.

Earlier this week a group of scientists reported in the journal Nature Structure & Molecular Biology that Foldit users helped them to determine the molecular structure of a simian HIV protease that had baffled scientists for 15 years. The actual three dimensional structure of the protein that was predicted by Foldit was confirmed by X-ray crystallography. According to the paper’s authors (that included the Foldit players who helped solve the protein’s structure),

“Although much attention has recently been given to the potential of crowdsourcing and game playing, this is the first instance that we are aware of in which online gamers solved a longstanding scientific problem. These results indicate the potential for integrating video games into the real-world scientific process: the ingenuity of game players is a formidable force that, if properly directed, can be used to solve a wide range of scientific problems.”

Crowdsourcing is a new concept that is beginning to be embraced by the life sciences community including academics as well as industrial scientists. To learn more about crowdsourcing and its use in drug discovery and design, please read an article that I wrote for LifeScienceLeader this past July.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Gaming!!!!!!!!! 

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The decision yesterday rendered by Federal District Court Judge Robert W. Sweet that invalidated the patents issued to Myriad Genetics for the breast cancer marker genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 is analogous to the “shot heard round the world” that kicked off the American Revolution in 1775. While it isn’t clear whether or not the decision will stand (Myriad has appealed the ruling), it does have the potential to change the way in which life sciences companies may operate in the future.

Patents are the lifeblood of the biotechnology industry. Because of this, scientists, university technology transfer offices and many would be entrepreneurs have sought to patent any and all ideas, inventions and potential products that may serve as the basis for a life sciences community. This has resulted in the issuance of a surfeit of composition of matter patents for many human and non-human DNA sequences that encode potential industrial and therapeutic proteins.

Prior to the sequencing of the human genome, many scientists and entrepreneurs had compelling and legitimate arguments to patent newly discovered DNA sequences. While these sequences existed in nature prior to their discovery, their commercial potential could not be fully realized until the genes and their products were isolated and fully characterized which generally required many years of scientific study. In contrast, however, the advent of whole genome sequencing allows scientists, to easily identify genes and their products that are likely to have future commercial potential and value. Because this renders inventions that make use of the genes or proteins themselves obvious, composition of matter patents are no longer feasible or warranted. Also, while composition of matter patents may have been lucrative in the past, it is usually secondary process patents that extend the commercial lifecycle of protein-based drugs. For example, the composition of matter patent for recombinant erythropoietin (held by Amgen) expired in 2004. However, Amgen has recombinant erythropoietin process and production patents that preclude competition in the US until 2017.

While composition of matter patents may be important for therapeutic proteins, the same isn’t true for diagnostic products. In fact, composition of matter patents in this case (like Myriad Genetics patents for BRAC1 and BRACA2) tend to stifle innovation and create monopolies for the companies that own them. The elimination of composition of matter patents for DNA sequences will give scientists the requisite freedom to operate and necessary creativity to develop new tests and uses for novel genes and their products.

To that end, the diagnostic industry would be well served if it adopted the open source business model pioneered by the software industry. This has resulted in the creation and development of new products, commercial applications and business opportunities that have exceeded the expectations of the companies that developed the original code. I see no reason why the same approach couldn’t be used in the diagnostic and personalized medicine industries as they continue to mature.  After all, the human genome is the ultimate source code and allowing free and unfettered access to its contents will undoubtedly result in many innovative, useful and previously unimagined commercial scientific and healthcare advances in the future.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!

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Talecris Biotherapeutics announced that it will add 259 jobs as part of a $269 million expansion of its manufacturing facility in Clayton, NC. The RTP-based biotech company already employs more than 3,000 people world wide (2000 in the Raleigh-Durham area and 1,500 in Clayton) and plans to use the 259 new hires to staff its newly expanded manufacturing facility at the Clayton site. The jobs being added will have an average annual salary of $51,066, excluding benefit substantially higher than the salaries of other non-biotech employees in the area.

The company manufactures and sells Prolastin an FDA-approved protein therapy, delivered via a plasma infusion, for patients who have alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency, which can lead to emphysema. Talecris, was formed in 2005 when private equity firms Cerberus Capital Management and Ampersand Ventures purchased Bayer AG’s plasma division for $300 million. The company was sold last year to Australia’s CSL, Ltd last year for $3.1 billion and raised $950 million in an initial public offering of stock on this past October.

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