Review: intellectual property aspects of plant transformation

One of the recurring themes of the debates concerning the application of genetic transformation technology has been the role of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). This term covers both the content of patents and the confidential expertise usually related to methodology and referred to as 'Trade Secrets'. This review explains the concepts behind patent protection, and discusses the wide-ranging scope of existing patents that cover all aspects of transgenic technology, from selectable markers and novel promoters to methods of gene introduction. Although few of the patents in this area have any real commercial value, there are a small number of key patents that restrict the 'freedom to operate' of new companies seeking to exploit the methods. Over the last 20 years, these restrictions have forced extensive cross-licensing between ag-biotech companies and have been one of the driving forces behind the consolidation of these companies. Although such issues are often considered of little interest to the academic scientist working in the public sector, they are of great importance in any discussion of the role of 'public-good breeding' and of the relationship between the public and private sectors.

Solvent influences on metastable polymorph lifetimes: real-time interconversions using energy dispersive X-ray diffractometry

Solvent influences on the crystallization of polymorph and hydrate forms of the nootropic drug piracetam (2-oxo-pyrrolidineacetamide) were investigated from water, methanol, 2-propanol, isobutanol, and nitromethane. Crystal growth profiles of piracetam polymorphs were constructed using time-resolved diffraction snapshots collected for each solvent system. Measurements were performed by in situ energy dispersive X-ray diffraction recorded in Station 16.4 at the synchrotron radiation source (SRS) at Daresbury Laboratory, CCLRC UK. Crystallizations from methanol, 2-propanol, isobutanol, and nitromethane progressed in a similar fashion with the initial formation of form I which then converted relatively quickly to form II with form III being generated upon further cooling. However, considerable differences were observed for the polymorphs lifetime and both the rate and temperature of conversion using the different solvents. The thermodynamically unstable form I was kinetically favored in isobutanol and nitromethane where traces of this polymorph were observed below 10 degrees C. In contrast, the transformation of form II and subsequent growth of form III were inhibited in 2-propanol and nitromethane solutions. Aqueous solutions produced hydrate forms of piracetam which are different from the reported monohydrate; this crystallization evolved through successive generation of transient structures which transformed upon exchange of intramolecular water between the liquid and crystalline phases. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 96:1069-1078, 2007.

The transition of the Polish real estate market within a Central and Eastern European context

The real estate market in Poland is a relatively immature market, but one that has been experiencing substantial transformation. The development of the market has been encouraged by a number of factors, including changes arising as a result of new legislation and the migration of capital between capital markets. The progress of the real estate sector towards a western style competitive market has taken place within the gradual transformation of the Polish economy into a free market economy. As investment grade property is in relatively short supply in Poland, investors consider opportunities within the wider CEE block. An analysis of the risk-return characteristics of the three largest CEE real estate markets namely, Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic, shows that the returns in these markets have been negatively correlated with the UK. As these economies and markets evolve, and being part of the wider EU trading block, their economic performance will slowly converge and become more synchronized with their western counterparts. However, the catch-up of the CEE markets to western European performance cycles will be protracted and consequently there are likely to be significant ongoing portfolio risk reduction opportunities