PatentsInHumans researcher Lauren Kane presented emerging research findings from the project at the 2026 European Association of Health Law (EAHL) Conference, which took place from 9-11th September in Uppsala University, Sweden.
On Thursday 10th September 2026, Lauren Kane delivered a paper (co-authored with Professor Aisling McMahon) entitled “Patents over Emerging Health-Technologies & The Right to Science: Reconceptualising Access Using a Solidarity-Based Framework” during the second session of the day, which focused on “Innovation, Patents and Incentives” and was chaired by Dr Vladimir Bastidas. The presentation discussed the human right to access the benefits of scientific progress as protected under Article 15(1)(b) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and how States’ ability to deliver on this right can be impacted by patents and other intellectual property rights over new health-technologies. It argued that there is a need for greater emphasis on the participatory dimension of the human right to science, and increased recognition of the importance of public participation in achieving scientific progress, particularly in the cell and gene therapy context.
Ultimately, the presentation concluded that there is a need to reconceptualise the right to science in order to embed reciprocal obligations on rightsholders to provide access to the benefits of science, including health-technologies.
The PatentsInHumans project is funded by the European Union (ERC, PatentsInHumans, Project No. 101042147). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
