U.S. Supreme Court ruled that naturally occurring DNA cannot be patented
On Jun. 13, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court Justices ruled 9-0 that naturally occurring DNA cannot be patented,…
USPTO implemented the first-inventor-to-file provisions of the America Invents Act
On Mar. 16, 2013, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) implemented the first inventor to file (FITF)…
First patent application granted for CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in all environments
On May 25, 2012, Drs. Jennifer Doudna, Emanulle Charpentier, Martin Jinek of UC Berkeley and Krzystof Chylinski of…
President Obama signed the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act
On Sept. 16, 2012 President Barack Obama signed the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act which overhauled the U.S. patent…
The Medicines Patent Pool was founded
In 2010, the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) was founded by Unitaid. Its vision was that non-exclusive voluntary licensing…
BioLife Solutions was incorporated in Seattle
On Aug. 24, 2007, BioLife Solutions was incorporated in Seattle. BioLife Solutions (formerly Cryomedical Sciences) is a class-defining…
UI Microbiology Professor Mark Stinski made the discoveries of CMV promoter and was named Iowa Inventor of the Year
On Sept. 30, 2003, University of Iowa (UI) Microbiology Professor Mark Stinski made the discoveries of CMV promoter…
The Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act was signed into law
On Jan. 4, 2002, The Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act was signed into law, established a process for…
The Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act improved safety and efficacy of patented and off-patent medicines for children
In 2002, the U.S. Congress passed the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act that improved safety and efficacy of…
Uruguay Round Agreements Act extended the patent terms of US drugs from 17 to 20 years
In 1994, the Uruguay Round Agreements Act extended the patent terms of U.S. drugs from 17 to 20…
James Watson resigned as head of Human Genome Project over NIH efforts to patent gene fragments
In April 1993, James Watson resigned as head of National Human Genome Research Institute (NCHGR) following allegations that…
University of Iowa Research Foundation received U.S. patents for CMV promoter
In 1992, the University of Iowa (UI) Research Foundation received its first U.S. patent on the CMV promoter,…
Cellpro announced its initial public offering
On Aug. 26, 1991, Cellpro announced its initial public offering. CellPro, founded in Bothell, developed the CEPRATE SC…
Honeycrisp apple cultivar developed at the Minnesota Ag Experiment Station
In 1991, Honeycrisp (Malus pumila), an apple cultivar (cultivated variety) developed at the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station’s Horticultural…
The California Supreme Court ruled that a patient does not have rights to profits derived from his cell line
In 1990, the California Supreme Court rules in the case involving Seattle’s John Moore that a patient does…
Ohio University received patent on gene-transfer
On Oct. 10, 1989, Ohio University (OU) announced that it had received a patent for a genetic engineering…
Cellpro was founded
In 1989, CellPro was founded in Bothell as a spin-off from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The…
Generic Animal Drug and Patent Term Restoration Act extended to veterinary products benefits given human drugs under the 1984 Drug Act
On Nov. 16, 1988, the President signed into law the Generic Animal Drug and Patent Term Restoration Act….
The Harvard Mouse, created by molecular geneticists, becomes the first mammal patented in the U.S.
On Apr. 12, 1988, the Harvard Mouse created by molecular geneticists led by Philip Leder created the first…
Drs. Fletcher Taylor and Charles Esmon at the OMRF established filed for a patent on discoveries fore blood clots
In 1988, Dr. Fletcher Taylor and Dr. Charles Esmon from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) filed for…
The National Cance Institute Office of Technology Development was established
On Oct. 24, 1987, the Office of Technology Development was established in the National Cancer Institute Office of…
Laser is first used in corrective eye surgery
In 1987, ophthalmologist, Steven Trokel performed the first laser surgery on a patient’s eyes, and later patented the…
Procyte Corp. was founded
In 1986, Procyte Corp. was founded as a Kirkland, Washington-based medical skin care company that developed and marketed…
The Hatch-Waxman Act was passed to encourage development of generic prescription drugs
On Sept. 24, 1984 the Hatch-Waxman Act (Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act) was passed to…
Amgen scientists isolated the gene that created erythropoietin (EPO)
In 1983, Amgen scientists isolated the gene that creates EPO and filed a patent. Pioneering studies on erythropoietin…
Pat Mooney’s Law of the Seed was released
In 1983, Pat Mooney’s Law of the Seed was released, published by the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, which is…
U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Diamond v Chakrabarty
On Jun. 16, 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld five-to-four the patentability of genetically altered organisms, opening the…
The Diamond v Chakrabarty case argued before U.S. Supreme Court
On Mar. 17, 1980, Ananda Mohan Chakrabarty filed a patent application assigned to the General Electric Co. for…
U.S. congressional hearings on proposed amendments to expand the 1970 Plant Variety Protection Act passed
In 1980, U.S. Congressional hearings on proposed amendments to expand the 1970 Plant Variety Protection Act turn into…
Congress enacted the Plant Variety Protection Act
On Dec. 24, 1970, Congress enacted the Plant Variety Protection Act (PVPA) to extend patent protection to plant…