Datapoints

Patenting DNA

In 1976, the earliest year that patent records can be easily searched, six patents contained the term DNA. Things have changed since then.

Year
Number of patents with DNA in their abstracts
1988
147
1998
1,464
2002
1,040
Jan-Feb 2003
148

Source: US Patent Office (www.uspto.gov)


Increased Recognition

Number of LexisNexis citations on selected potential bioterrorism agents

Month
Smallpox
Ricin
Anthrax
Aug. 2000
147
2
387
Sept. 2000
249
9
377
Aug. 2001
191
7
444
Sept. 2001
875
44
1,549
Aug. 2002
889
72
3,141
Sept. 2002
1,437
99
4,547
Jan. 2003
2,432
2,634
3,570



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