Partner Grace Pan Appears on NHK Television Discussing IPS Cell Technology Patents
December 17, 2012
NHK, the largest broadcasting network in Japan (affiliated with the BBC and ABC) recently premiered a segment featuring Intellectual Property litigator Grace Pan on the patent and other legal issues involving IPS cell technology. Just like embryonic cells, IPS cells can differentiate into various types of cells, but – instead of being derived from human embryos – are derived from somatic cells that are then “reprogrammed” into stem cells for various other kinds of tissue. The NHK feature aired in conjunction with the ceremonies in Stockholm awarding the 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine to Japan’s Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, who pioneered IPS research.
When asked about the race to patent products, under the new “first to file” patent system in the US, Pan explained “People may be able to file patent applications for their inventions faster than [Dr. Yamanaka] does. It’s an incredibly competitive field.”
Pan added, “Time is really money, especially with IPS technology.”