Being able to do a BLAST search, among other things, assumes that you and every other researcher has access to known gene sequences. Some would prefer, however, that such sequence information should be "owned" by their discoverers

Question

What are the pros and cons of such a position?

Answer 1

The pros of sequence ownership include, but are not limited to, the ability to use the sequence to finance further research into treatments that specifically target that region of DNA (the development of "designer drugs"). It also could help fund diagnostic tools for rapid identification of novel mutations or mapping of common SNPs in a given population. Cons would include the fact that charging people to use your sequence information may severely limit studies on your gene and may delay development of treatments or research on this particular gene or mutation on the basis of what is profitable. This would particularly affect research on rare mutations, which may not be as profitable in terms of developing new treatments when research funding is limited and labs cannot afford to pay.