*This is gonna damage the business model, so somebody's gonna figure out how to put a cork back in the stream of free information. I wonder how.
Maybe we should stop dropping dead of disease and figure out the legalisms later
(...)
None of these discovery efforts would have been possible without the rapid sharing of the SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence on 10 January, with subsequent depositions from different patients isolates lodged in various public repositories (e.g., NCBI, GISAID and ViPR). This has enabled analysis of the pandemic’s history and revealed the close relation of SARS-CoV-2 to bat coronaviruses. Similarly, the availability of atomic structures of the virus spike (S) protein in the Protein Data Bank has enabled open efforts in protein engineering (for example, the Institute for Protein Design’s use of citizen science in its FoldIt game) and computer-assisted design of small molecules (for example, Innophore’s open modeling efforts).
In the biotech sector, it has been anything but business as usual. As supply-chain disruptions have created reagent shortages, creative ways have been found to share materials: for example, laboratories in the San Francisco area donated RNA extraction kits to a COVID-19 diagnostic lab following an announcement from Qiagen that it was struggling to meet orders for the reagents. Groups specializing in 3D printing and additive manufacturing have provided parts to repair ventilators or provided specs for turning snorkels into CPAP face masks. The Biotechnology Innovation Organization trade association has set up a hub to connect companies with resources to other companies that need them. Ginkgo Bioworks has set aside $25 million for ‘foundry work’ to support R&D efforts, and various SARS-CoV-2 components are being made available in community resources like Addgene, with constructs encoding key enzymes for diagnostics available via Open Enzymes.
Business transactions have also accelerated. Startups and discovery shops are rapidly partnering with larger companies that have bulk manufacturing and clinical development expertise....
