Leading scientist attacks university over 'outrageous' IVF
treatment patent  Decision to approve patent for embryo cell
data could make IVF fertility treatments prohibitively
expensive, says expert   • The Observer,   • Jump to comments ()
Three pregnant women Fertility experts say the patent, which
covers the duration of the first three cell cycles in a human
embryo, encroaches on a naturally occurring phenomenon.
Photograph: Alamy   Jacques Cohen, one of the world's leading
embryologists, has attacked Stanford University and the
biotechnology company Auxogyn over their "outrageous" request to
be given a patent on cell-cycle data being used to develop IVF
treatments. This has now been granted by the US patent office.
The decision could make treatments prohibitively expensive,
warned Cohen, who has called for "responsible scientists" to
campaign against the decision. Fertility experts are infuriated
because they believe the patent covers a naturally occurring
phenomenon: the duration of the first three cell