The Nation : U.S. Expected to Grant 1st Animal Patent

In a decision that is a milestone in the efforts to commercialize biotechnology, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said that it has approved a patent for a genetically altered mouse, the first time a patent has been issued for an animal, the Washington Post reported. Details of the application will be announced at a press conference today. Congressional sources said the patent has been granted to researchers at Harvard University, who have genetically altered the animal for use in cancer-related laboratory research. Man-made life organisms have been patentable since 1980. Today’s announcement will mark the first time that patent law will protect a genetic change in a higher life form.