On 20th February 2025, Professor McMahon delivered an invited lecture (virtually) as part of the “Law and Biomedicine Colloquium” at S. J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah. The Law and Biomedicine Colloquium organised by the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah hosts lectures from distinguished scholars, as well as leaders in legal practice in the law and the biosciences fields. It brings together scholars, practitioners in the community, law students, and law faculty to discuss complex topics in the biosciences field.
Prof McMahon focused her lecture on the potential bioethical implications posed by patents over technologies related to the human body. She set out a novel taxonomy of patentable ‘technologies’ related to human body. Using this taxonomy, she argued that such patents – and how they are used – can pose significant bioethical implications, including, the potential to impact human autonomy, dignity and bodily integrity interests in certain contexts. She demonstrated that the legal avenues to engage with these bioethical issues issue both within and outside the European patent system are often marginalised, and argued for greater nuanced scrutiny over such bioethical issues.
This research is being developed as part of the PatentsInHumans project, a 5-year ERC funded Starting Grant project led by Prof McMahon (Principal Investigator). You can find out more about the PatentsInHumans project at: www.patentsinhumans.eu