This course is an interdisciplinary exploration of many of the legal and policy issues raised by the biotechnology industry. It is also intended to give law students and scientists the opportunity to learn more about each other's disciplines by working together. The course covers issues of patenting, corporate organization and financing, conflicts of interest, regulatory approvals, health care financing issues, and tort liability, as well as examining the prospects for and implications of the biotechnology revolution. The course includes materials and presentations for non-scientists on background knowledge about the science and technologies involved, as well as materials and presentations for non-law students on background knowledge about the legal system. After the preliminary sessions, the course is organized around a series of specific, hypothetical problems. An interdisciplinary group of students presents and discusses a solution to each problem.
This course is open to graduate and professional students from all parts of the University and, by special consent of the instructor, to qualified undergraduates.