Scientist Says He Took Cloned DNA

A prominent scientist, testifying for the University of California in a patent suit against Genentech, says he took cloned DNA growth hormone from a UC lab in a midnight visit after quitting his university job. Peter Seeburg, now a director at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, Germany, said Tuesday that he shared the samples with another researcher at Genentech, where he had just gone to work. As a UC researcher, Seeburg had developed the cloned DNA material from a human pituitary gland. Additional research on the material at Genentech led to the development of the human growth hormone Protropin, the company’s most lucrative drug. The university has sued the South San Francisco-based biotechnology company for a patent violation, claiming Genentech developed Protropin by exploiting its access to UC’s cloned DNA when the university had its own patent application pending.