Plan dissuades researchers from cooperation

Genomic Sequence Data is a Basic Research Tool that Should be Broadly Available

A vast array of basic scientific research is enabled by knowledge of an organism’s genomic sequence. This research can lead to a better understanding of biochemical mechanisms and to medical innovations such as vaccines and therapeutics. As such, genomic sequence data are a form of basic “research tool” — a resource that can be used by multiple researchers to address different research questions. There is a broad policy consensus that research tools should be made as broadly available as possible to the research community (National Institutes of Health, 1999). Allowing one or a handful of entities to own this basic scientific information can hinder research when speed and international collaboration are needed most. Studies have shown that researchers were reluctant to study the patented BRCA genes, thereby reducing overall knowledge and scientific advancement, something that cannot be afforded in the face of an emergent global pandemic.