This book configures a consistent epistemology of biolaw that distinguishes itself from bioethics and from a mere set of international instruments on the regulation of biomedical practices. Such orthodox intellection has prevented biolaw from being understood as a new branch of law with legally binding force, which has certainly dwindled its epistemological density. Hence, this is a revolutionary book as it seeks to deconstruct the history of biolaw and its oblique epistemologies, which means not accepting perennial axioms, and not seeing paradigms where only anachronism and anomaly still exist. It is a book aimed at validity, but also at solidity because the truth of biolaw has never been told before. In that sense, it is also a revealing text. The book shapes biolaw as an independent and compelling branch of law, with a legally binding scope, which boosts the effectiveness of new deliberative models for legal sciences, as well as it utterly reinforces hermeneutical and epistemological approaches, in tune with the complexity of disturbing legal scenarios created by biomedical sciences’ latest applications. This work adeptly addresses the origins of the European biolaw and its connections with American bioethics. It also analyses different biolaw’s epistemologies historically developed both in Europe and in the United States, to finally offer a new conception of biolaw as a new branch of law, by exploring its theoretical and practical atmospheres to avoid muddle and uncertainty when applied in biomedical settings. This book is suitable for academics and students of biolaw, law, bioethics, and biomedical research, as well as for professionals in higher education institutions, courts, the biomedical industry, and pharmacological companies.

A founder’s decision for an investor can substantially influence the new venture’s success. Two common types of venture capital (VC) are independent venture capital (IVC) and corporate venture capital (CVC). Previous research focused on the investor’s perspective and studied the distinct differences between IVC and CVC, their value-adding capabilities, and risks. In contrast, as founders’ investor options have been rising, this research focuses on the founders and studies, which of the two types they prefer and why. The author outlines which investor characteristics founders favor and quantifies the value of these VC characteristics in terms of accepted equity dilution. The results show that founder preferences for the two VC types are highly heterogeneous. The author provides recommendations for founders on how to find the right investor and outlines how investors can position themselves to attract the most promising ventures and founding teams.

Biobanks are proliferating rapidly worldwide because they are powerful tools and organisational structures for undertaking medical research. By linking samples to data on the health of individuals, it is anticipated that biobanks will be used to explore the relationship between genes, environment and lifestyle for many diseases, as well as the potential of individually-tailored drug treatments based on genetic predisposition. However, they also raise considerable challenges for existing legal frameworks and research governance structures. This book critically examines the current governance structures in place for biobanks in England and Wales. It shows that the technologies, techniques and practices involved in biobanking do not always conform neatly to existing legal principles and frameworks that apply to other areas of medical research. Using a socio-legal approach, including interview data gathered from the scientific community, this book provides unique insights and makes recommendations about appropriate governance mechanisms for biobanking in the future. It also explores the issues around the secondary use of information, such as consent and how to protect privacy, when biobanks are accessed by a number of different third parties. These issues have relevance both within England and Wales and to a wide international audience, as well as for other areas where large datasets are used.

Analyses the methods of protection of biodiversity and related traditional knowledge in the international and comparative national intellectual property systems.

Genetic research and testing is not limited to individuals and their families. Increasingly, there is focus on communities and even whole populations. This raises legal and socio-ethical and issues that have not been addressed. In this age of international biobanking involving populations, are current legal and ethical approaches sufficient? This book of selected papers covers population research and banking as well as accompanying confidentiality, and governance concerns. Possible commercialization, patents, benefit sharing, discrimination, and the role of patient organizations and of developing countries are also discussed. New perspectives and models are provided. The book concludes with a Statement of Principles on the Ethical Conduct of Human Genetic Research Involving Populations. Policymakers, academics, legislators and researchers will find this book to be current and controversial. The human genome may be mapped but the legal and socio-ethical debate is far from over.