- Email: [email protected]
Intellectual property
CORRESPONDENCE
governments to deliver health care to the poor.
improved
Liz Orton VSO, London SW15 2PN, UK 1
Horton R. African AIDS beyond Mbeki: tripping into anarchy. Lancet 2000; 356: 1541–42.
Intellectual property Sir—Several respondents (Dec 9, p 2015)1–3 wrote about my piece on intellectual property and clinical research. D Korn and R Meyer1 wonder whether I was engaged in satire. Irony would not be amiss either, given my final sentence (“. . . the thought experiment I propose . . .”). I would emphasise two points. First, I see little intellectual difference between, say, a genetic assay predictive for a clinical state and a clinical rating (or phenotype) scale that achieves the same purpose. If you admit the argument that you need com-mercialisation to encourage one, you need it for both, or else you risk distorting the research terrain. Second, the correspondents make points about the importance and value of “unfunded” clinical research. I agree, and in my report, if nothing else, I was trying to defend this activity against those who understand little of how real clinical advance occurs. But commercialisation is, to use a genetic analogy, a dominant negative mutation. The public sector increasingly uses research funding as a proxy for scientific or clinical value. Indeed scientists frequently seem to avoid talk of making any clinically relevant discovery but rather say how big the next grant is: one is left to draw ones own conclusions. If you could realise two solutions to a clinical problem, one expensive involving a team of scientists for 5 years, the other based on the insight say of a Barry Marshall or a Sam Shuster (in the examples I quoted) most UK Universities would favour the former, since it looks better in the research assessment exercise, and in turn attracts more funding to the cash-strapped University.
Clearer images
is a clear improvement on black and white laser prints.
Sir—We have discovered a way to print images more faithfully, especially banding patterns of proteins (or nucleic acids) that have been separated and subsequently visualised. To scan in black and white and then print in colour might seem counterintuitive, but the final results (figure) clearly show improved discrimination of individual bands and a less grainy background. The explanation is readily understandable in that the algorithm (called “dithering” in the print trade) for conversion of individual values on the greyscale will be governed primarily by the distance between contiguous pixels rather than the much higher resolution of the printer (eg, 1200 dots per inch [dpi]). This effect is readily seen in the figure, in which even at 760 dpi there are course, grainy pixels that are widely spaced and represent the low degree of diffuse background staining on the white nitrocellulose membrane. In principle, a black and white laser printer can only print or not print each black dot, rather than printing a grey dot. However, a colour printer can mix various lighter and darker hues to produce different degrees of grey. On careful examination a slightly green-blue colour cast, rather than a strictly black and white image, can be seen. This trick will faithfully print bands, for example, for western, northern, or Southern blots, for more accurate representation of any image. The final print also looks sufficiently black and white to be accepted or scanned by non-electronic journals and avoid colour printing. This result
*Edward J Thompson, Robert Learmouth, George L Kaim *Department of Neuroimmunology and Audio-Visual Services Unit, Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK (e-mail: [email protected])
DEPARTMENT OF ERROR Intracranial haemorrhage with bolus thrombolytic agents—In this Correspondence letter by Paul W Armstrong and colleagues (Nov 25, p 1849), the fifth sentence of the fourth paragraph should be, “Furthermore, the comparison of reteplase with streptokinase in the INJECT study, given the former agent’s greater fibrin specificity and derivation from alteplase, produced an expected difference in the intracranial haemorrhage rate based on pharmacological properties alone”.
Dietary supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E after myocardial infarction: results of the GISSIPrevenzione trial—In this article by the GISSIPrevenzione Investigators (Aug 7, 1999, p 447), the first part of the second sentence on p 448 should be “In the absence of evidence for preferred doses of treatments, we decided on the daily doses of n-3 PUFA as one gelatin capsule containing 850–882 mg eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as ethyl esters in the average ratio of EPA/DHA 1·2/1”.
Visceral leishmaniasis in India—In this Correspondence letter by Anthony Bryceson (Dec 2, p 1933), the first sentence should read “Shyam Sundar has to be congratualed for his aim of shortening the duration of treatment and time in hospital for patients with visceral leishmaniasis in India by increasing the dose of lipid-associated amphotericin, as you report in your Sept 23 news item.” The second line of the second paragraph should read “a single dose of 7·5 mg/kg liposomal amphotericin (AmBisome)”.
Jonathan Rees Department of Dermatology, University of Edinburgh, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh EH3 9YW, UK 1 2 3
Korn D, Meyer RE. Patents for intellectual property. Lancet 2000; 356: 2015. Kaufman JL. Patents for intellectual property. Lancet 2000; 356: 2016. Schafer S, Giagounidis AAN. Patents for intellectual property. Lancet 2000; 356: 2016.
642
Enhanced reproduction of banding patterns with use of an inkjet colour printer vs black and white or laser printer Spinal fluid proteins separated by isoelectric focusing were stained with horseradish peroxidase, producing brown bands on a nitrocellulose membrane. A=colour 1440 dpi; B=black and white 1440 dpi; C=black and white 760 dpi; D–F show one band (plus contiguous white “background”); D=inkjet colour; E=inkjet black and white; F=laser black and white.
THE LANCET • Vol 357 • February 24, 2001
For personal use only. Reproduce with permission from The Lancet Publishing Group.
governments to deliver health care to the poor.
improved
Liz Orton VSO, London SW15 2PN, UK 1
Horton R. African AIDS beyond Mbeki: tripping into anarchy. Lancet 2000; 356: 1541–42.
Intellectual property Sir—Several respondents (Dec 9, p 2015)1–3 wrote about my piece on intellectual property and clinical research. D Korn and R Meyer1 wonder whether I was engaged in satire. Irony would not be amiss either, given my final sentence (“. . . the thought experiment I propose . . .”). I would emphasise two points. First, I see little intellectual difference between, say, a genetic assay predictive for a clinical state and a clinical rating (or phenotype) scale that achieves the same purpose. If you admit the argument that you need com-mercialisation to encourage one, you need it for both, or else you risk distorting the research terrain. Second, the correspondents make points about the importance and value of “unfunded” clinical research. I agree, and in my report, if nothing else, I was trying to defend this activity against those who understand little of how real clinical advance occurs. But commercialisation is, to use a genetic analogy, a dominant negative mutation. The public sector increasingly uses research funding as a proxy for scientific or clinical value. Indeed scientists frequently seem to avoid talk of making any clinically relevant discovery but rather say how big the next grant is: one is left to draw ones own conclusions. If you could realise two solutions to a clinical problem, one expensive involving a team of scientists for 5 years, the other based on the insight say of a Barry Marshall or a Sam Shuster (in the examples I quoted) most UK Universities would favour the former, since it looks better in the research assessment exercise, and in turn attracts more funding to the cash-strapped University.
Clearer images
is a clear improvement on black and white laser prints.
Sir—We have discovered a way to print images more faithfully, especially banding patterns of proteins (or nucleic acids) that have been separated and subsequently visualised. To scan in black and white and then print in colour might seem counterintuitive, but the final results (figure) clearly show improved discrimination of individual bands and a less grainy background. The explanation is readily understandable in that the algorithm (called “dithering” in the print trade) for conversion of individual values on the greyscale will be governed primarily by the distance between contiguous pixels rather than the much higher resolution of the printer (eg, 1200 dots per inch [dpi]). This effect is readily seen in the figure, in which even at 760 dpi there are course, grainy pixels that are widely spaced and represent the low degree of diffuse background staining on the white nitrocellulose membrane. In principle, a black and white laser printer can only print or not print each black dot, rather than printing a grey dot. However, a colour printer can mix various lighter and darker hues to produce different degrees of grey. On careful examination a slightly green-blue colour cast, rather than a strictly black and white image, can be seen. This trick will faithfully print bands, for example, for western, northern, or Southern blots, for more accurate representation of any image. The final print also looks sufficiently black and white to be accepted or scanned by non-electronic journals and avoid colour printing. This result
*Edward J Thompson, Robert Learmouth, George L Kaim *Department of Neuroimmunology and Audio-Visual Services Unit, Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK (e-mail: [email protected])
DEPARTMENT OF ERROR Intracranial haemorrhage with bolus thrombolytic agents—In this Correspondence letter by Paul W Armstrong and colleagues (Nov 25, p 1849), the fifth sentence of the fourth paragraph should be, “Furthermore, the comparison of reteplase with streptokinase in the INJECT study, given the former agent’s greater fibrin specificity and derivation from alteplase, produced an expected difference in the intracranial haemorrhage rate based on pharmacological properties alone”.
Dietary supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E after myocardial infarction: results of the GISSIPrevenzione trial—In this article by the GISSIPrevenzione Investigators (Aug 7, 1999, p 447), the first part of the second sentence on p 448 should be “In the absence of evidence for preferred doses of treatments, we decided on the daily doses of n-3 PUFA as one gelatin capsule containing 850–882 mg eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as ethyl esters in the average ratio of EPA/DHA 1·2/1”.
Visceral leishmaniasis in India—In this Correspondence letter by Anthony Bryceson (Dec 2, p 1933), the first sentence should read “Shyam Sundar has to be congratualed for his aim of shortening the duration of treatment and time in hospital for patients with visceral leishmaniasis in India by increasing the dose of lipid-associated amphotericin, as you report in your Sept 23 news item.” The second line of the second paragraph should read “a single dose of 7·5 mg/kg liposomal amphotericin (AmBisome)”.
Jonathan Rees Department of Dermatology, University of Edinburgh, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh EH3 9YW, UK 1 2 3
Korn D, Meyer RE. Patents for intellectual property. Lancet 2000; 356: 2015. Kaufman JL. Patents for intellectual property. Lancet 2000; 356: 2016. Schafer S, Giagounidis AAN. Patents for intellectual property. Lancet 2000; 356: 2016.
642
Enhanced reproduction of banding patterns with use of an inkjet colour printer vs black and white or laser printer Spinal fluid proteins separated by isoelectric focusing were stained with horseradish peroxidase, producing brown bands on a nitrocellulose membrane. A=colour 1440 dpi; B=black and white 1440 dpi; C=black and white 760 dpi; D–F show one band (plus contiguous white “background”); D=inkjet colour; E=inkjet black and white; F=laser black and white.
THE LANCET • Vol 357 • February 24, 2001
For personal use only. Reproduce with permission from The Lancet Publishing Group.