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The ethical and legal issues raised by the patenting of gene sequences and proteins will be explored in a series of roundtable discussions staged by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. The meetings will involve experts with backgrounds in moral philosophy, clinical genetics, genomics, patent law, pharmaceuticals and anthropology. They will produce a discussion paper towards the end of 2000 to help the courts, patent offices and policy-makers develop public policy and professional guidance, as well as promoting debate.