Patenting neuroscience: challenges and opportunities in an interdisciplinary field

The study of the nervous system draws from many disciplines, including biology, chemistry, medicine, psychology and engineering. A consequence of this interdisciplinary approach is that discoveries in one discipline can inform and supplement other disciplines, and certain intellectual property issues might be encountered more frequently. For example, if a new neurological indication is discovered for a known drug, can this new use be patented? And what about the discovery of biological mechanisms that do not directly identify new drugs or therapies, but make subsequent identification possible? Here, we will explore the extent to which these discoveries are patentable.