Abstract

Diary of a Mad Law Professor

On the April issue of the journal "Scientific American," Joe Tsien, an assistant professor of molecular biology at Princeton University, writes that his laboratory's successful genetic enhancement of the memory function of mice could one day lead to the commercial production of drugs "to treat brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease or even, perhaps, to boost learning and memory capacity in normal people." In the "New York Times," Lee Silver, also a professor of molecular biology at Princeton, opines, "the public is understandably nervous about the idea of companies profiting from our genetic code. But if the goal is to make this genetic information useful as soon as possible, the debate should be focused on fair business practices and regulatory issues, not ethics." Both Silver and Tsien hold interests in companies that are poised to capitalize on the sale of any such patents or drugs.