"The report, released by the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, offers dozens of recommendations, ranging from increasing federal investment and expanding domestic manufacturing to reducing reliance on Chinese suppliers and improving interagency coordination. But one issue receives too little attention. If the United States wants to compete, it must restore trust in the intellectual property rights that enable inventors to turn bold ideas into revolutionary products."
"In biotech, the stakes are higher. The field is transforming how we treat disease, grow food, and manufacture everything from chemicals to advanced materials. And with artificial intelligence accelerating discovery, the pace is exponential. As the Commission notes, tools like AlphaFold from GoogleDeepMind can now model hundreds of millions of protein structures in days, a task that once took years."
"Patents make high-risk innovation financially viable. They allow startups to protect their discoveries, attract capital, and grow. Without reliable patent rights, promising research gets shelved - or picked up and advanced abroad. This isn't theoretical. The United States led past waves of innovation - like the explosion of biotech startups after the Bayh- Dole Act of 1980 and the 19th-century surge of invention that brought us the telephone and automobile - precisely because it backed inventors with clear, enforceable IP rights."
United States faces a narrow window to respond as China advances rapidly in biotechnology and biomanufacturing. Patents make high‑risk innovation financially viable by protecting discoveries, attracting capital, and enabling startup growth. Restored and reliable intellectual property rights are essential to prevent promising research from being shelved or advanced abroad. Recommended actions include increased federal investment, expanded domestic manufacturing, reduced reliance on Chinese suppliers, and improved interagency coordination. Past US leadership in innovation followed strong IP protections such as after Bayh‑Dole and 19th‑century patent support. Artificial intelligence tools like AlphaFold dramatically accelerate discovery, intensifying the urgency of IP and industrial policy.
Read at Fortune
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