Steve Brenner’s Genome Commons

(Via Freelancing Science). The web continues to have a huge impact on science. Just minutes ago, I became aware of Steve Brenner’s latest project, Genome Commons. This Nature Commentary describes the resource. Additional information is available on the About page and in this one page version

Essentially the Commons is “a public knowledgebase of human genetic variation and its effect, culled from databases, diagnostic laboratories, and the scientific literature.” The project was inspired by the advances in genotyping and sequences, and the ability, soon enough, for individuals to get their genome sequenced or to get themselves genotyped. Some of those thoughts are laid out in the Hello, World post on the project blog.

While it looks simple today, the Genome Commons is an ambitious project. In a way it reminds me of the Encylopedia of Life, and the design of the resource, how it can be accessed and mined will be critical for long term success. All the material in the Commons is licensed under a Creative Commons license, which is an excellent decision.

In Brenner’s vision, companies would play a vital role by contributing discoveries to the Genome Commons and making its contents accessible to clinicians and the public. He describes it as a central clearinghouse for intellectual property, which means that the Science Commons folks should be talking to him. If we are talking about IP transfer, transaction costs, etc, then the experience that Science Commons has in tech transfer and IP licensing might come in good use.

And yes, this is an opportunity for the life sciences to explore new revenue models

Technorati Tags: Genome Commons, Open Science, Genetics, Steve Brenner