Patents in the era of genomics: An overview

The recent developments in biotechnology are the emerging science of "omics"- genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics. The state of the art sequencing technology has led to the deciphering of whole genome sequences of various microbes, plant, human and animals. The outcomes of genomics in the form of various genes, gene fragments, single nucleotide polymorphism, promoters and other regulatory sequences are a subject matter for patents based on its applications spanning agricultural, biomedical and industrial sectors. The patenting of genes and sequences is a debatable issue which has led to several controversies over recent years. With the accumulation of huge amount of sequences in various databases as a result of various genome sequencing projects worldwide, there is an immediate need for clarification of patenting genes and sequences. This review article gives an insight into patents based on development of genomics highlighting some of the patents based on deoxyribonucleic acid, genes, sequences and other related genetic material and gene technologies. Patents on single nucleotide polymorphism, stem cells, biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and treatment, microbial genes and plant genes are also discussed.