⭐ Exam Focus — Rapid Revision
Every Exam focus callout and every One-line Summary from all 16 lectures, in one place. Use this for the last 30 minutes before an exam.
📘 ABCT 101 — Modern Approaches in Biopharmaceutical Development
L1 · Introduction to Biologics
Exam focusWhy an antibody (150 kDa) beats a small molecule: (1) far more specific, (2) can hit protein-protein surfaces a pill can't, (3) longer half-life via FcRn recycling. Know the size ladder: aspirin 180 Da < peptide 2000 Da < insulin 58 kDa < antibody 150 kDa.
Don't mix these up1977 = somatostatin (first recombinant protein, proof of concept) but 1982 = Humulin (first approved recombinant drug). Exam questions love this distinction. Insulin itself was discovered 1921/1922 — five decades earlier.
Dr. Wong's own research — a likely exam/assignment hook"By using chemistry, we can chemically synthesise a novel peptide sequence based on a naturally occurring cyclotide, so we can create new orally active peptide drug."
The logic: nature evolved ultra-stable cyclic peptides in plants → characterise their scaffold → chemically re-engineer that scaffold with a new sequence to get a new peptide that survives the gut. This is the intellectual bridge from L1's peptide problems to L2's pBsAb work.
The logic: nature evolved ultra-stable cyclic peptides in plants → characterise their scaffold → chemically re-engineer that scaffold with a new sequence to get a new peptide that survives the gut. This is the intellectual bridge from L1's peptide problems to L2's pBsAb work.
DistinctionZiconotide is the example that shows disulfide-bond constraint (not head-to-tail amidation) is itself a cyclisation strategy — keep it separate from the head-to-tail oxytocin chemistry.
One-line Summary
English: Biologics are cell-made macromolecules that replaced chemistry with biology, and recombinant DNA made them scalable.
中文邏輯：生物藥＝用活細胞造藥，瓶頸由化學轉為製程與遞送；重組 DNA 是量產的基礎技術，胜肽的三大補救（環化／D-氨基酸／脂化）是口服化的關鍵。
中文邏輯：生物藥＝用活細胞造藥，瓶頸由化學轉為製程與遞送；重組 DNA 是量產的基礎技術，胜肽的三大補救（環化／D-氨基酸／脂化）是口服化的關鍵。
→ full notes: L1 · Introduction to Biologics
L2 · Proteins, Antibodies & Related Biologics
Exam focusFc = effector + half-life; CDR = specificity. Antibody humanization reduces immunogenicity (why mouse mAbs fail in humans). ADC "magic bullet" concept from Paul Ehrlich 1910 — the century-old idea now realized.
Why this matters beyond the examThis is a commercialisation case study, not just a chemistry problem — it is patented (US 63/369638; PCT/CN2023/080473; WO2023/179370) and commercialised through a spin-out, Abismuno Scientific Limited. For a BDC degree, that chain — lab method → patent → company — is exactly the pathway you are training to run. Sources: Chem. Sci. 2024 (in press); J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 10647.
Exam angle"Consistency" is the differentiator from polyclonal antisera — a common contrast question. Pair it with the humanisation section: consistency + humanisation = a reproducible, low-immunogenicity therapeutic.
One-line Summary
English: Antibodies are engineered proteins whose CDRs give specificity and Fc gives effector power, with bispecifics as the current commercial frontier.
中文邏輯：抗體靠 CDR 鎖標的、Fc 出手殺靶；雙特異與化學製法（pBsAb）是成本與商業化前線——從實驗室方法→專利→分拆公司，正是 BDC 要跑的通路。
中文邏輯：抗體靠 CDR 鎖標的、Fc 出手殺靶；雙特異與化學製法（pBsAb）是成本與商業化前線——從實驗室方法→專利→分拆公司，正是 BDC 要跑的通路。
→ full notes: L2 · Proteins, Antibodies & Related Biologics
L3 · Nucleic Acid, Carbohydrate & Drug Delivery
Exam focusmRNA does not enter the nucleus and does not integrate — that is the mechanistic reason for the low insertional-mutagenesis claim, and the same reason it contrasts with viral-vector gene therapy. Note the lecture flags that claim as "still questionable" — a deliberate hedge you can cite.
Exam focus — the ADC questionThe lecture explicitly poses: is an antibody-drug conjugate targeted delivery? Then: Controlled-release? Answer: both. The antibody provides the address (targeted); the linker provides the schedule (controlled release, cleaved intracellularly after internalisation). If you can explain this in one sentence you have understood the whole lecture's framework.
Exam focus — high-yield one-linerssiRNA degrades mRNA; mRNA supplies the code; aptamer binds like an antibody; ASO blocks/alters splicing.
CAA = overexpressed, also in normal tissue (HER2, EGFR, PD-L1, MUC1). CSA = cancer-only (mutant KRAS, BCR-ABL, neoantigens, HPV E6/E7).
Liposome = bilayer + aqueous core, carries both hydrophilic and hydrophobic. Micelle = hydrophobic core, solubilises poorly-soluble drugs.
Mesoporous = 2–50 nm pores. Exosome = 30–150 nm, reflects cell of origin.
ADC = targeted + controlled release. PPSV23 needs a carrier protein because bare polysaccharide is not immunogenic enough.
CAA = overexpressed, also in normal tissue (HER2, EGFR, PD-L1, MUC1). CSA = cancer-only (mutant KRAS, BCR-ABL, neoantigens, HPV E6/E7).
Liposome = bilayer + aqueous core, carries both hydrophilic and hydrophobic. Micelle = hydrophobic core, solubilises poorly-soluble drugs.
Mesoporous = 2–50 nm pores. Exosome = 30–150 nm, reflects cell of origin.
ADC = targeted + controlled release. PPSV23 needs a carrier protein because bare polysaccharide is not immunogenic enough.
One-line Summary
English: Nucleic-acid and carbohydrate biologics only work if delivered to the right place and time, so the delivery system — not the molecule — is the moat.
中文邏輯：核酸與醣類生物藥成敗在遞送；靶向（地址）＋控釋（時程）兩軸，遞送系統先係護城河。
中文邏輯：核酸與醣類生物藥成敗在遞送；靶向（地址）＋控釋（時程）兩軸，遞送系統先係護城河。
→ full notes: L3 · Nucleic Acid, Carbohydrate & Drug Delivery
L4 · Genomics & Bioinformatics
Exam focus — the three numbersHuman genome ~3 Gb · protein-coding genes ~20,000 · coding genome ~50 Mb. The coding portion is only about 1.6% of the genome — which is exactly why non-coding variation is the hard problem.
Exam focus — the pattern in the platform tableRead the columns as a trade-off, not one cell: read length 1000 (Sanger) → 55–700 (2nd gen) → 3000–9545 (3rd gen); run time 2 h → 8 days → under 6 h. Error type separates the families: only Illumina/Solexa and AB SOLiD make substitution errors; every other platform listed makes insertion–deletion errors; Sanger and Oxford Nanopore make all three. Second gen won the market on low cost + low error rate.
Exam focus — platform choice"In reality, one sequencing project may combine multiple sequencing techniques." The exam point is not that one platform is best — it is that platform choice is driven by the question.
Exam focus — two things to notice in the caller matrix1. The cells are not symmetric — germline and somatic calling are different problems, so the tool lists differ. 2. The families are historical layers — heuristic → statistical → deep learning → graph models; DRAGEN is also the engine bundled with Illumina instruments.
Exam focus — three fusion namesBCR-ABL1 (CML → Imatinib), PML-RARA (APL), ETV6-NTRK3 (Ph-like ALL → NTRK inhibitors). If you memorise only three, take those.
Numbers and contrasts worth memorising
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Human genome size | ~3 Gb |
| Protein-coding genes | ~20,000 |
| Coding genome | ~50 Mb |
| Human Genome Project cost | $3 billion (published Nature 2001) |
| HTT repeats | <27 normal / 40+ disease |
| CNV statistic | Log2 ratio = normalised read depth, case over control |
| TP53 vs KRAS | Tumour suppressor, loss of function vs oncogene, gain of function |
| Germline / somatic / de novo | The three variant origins |
| WGS vs WES vs targeted | Everything vs exons only vs enriched regions |
| Short vs long read assemblers | SOAPdenovo / SPADES / MEGAHIT vs Flye / canu |
| Alignment tools | BWA, BOWTIE2, MINIMAP2 |
| Variation taxonomy | Sequence level + seven chromosome-level types (incl. extrachromosomal DNA) |
If you only remember one thing from this lectureGenomics is three questions — read, understand, edit. Every tool, format and citation in the deck belongs to one of the three. When a question confuses you, first ask which of the three it is about.
One-line Summary
English: Genomics is three questions — read the sequence, understand what it means, and edit it — and every platform, format and tool in this lecture belongs to one of the three.
中文邏輯：基因組學就係讀、理解、編輯三問；每個平台、格式、工具都屬其中一問 —— 而最終的商業落點，寫在那張 $0.85M 到 $4.25M 的基因治療價格表上。
中文邏輯：基因組學就係讀、理解、編輯三問；每個平台、格式、工具都屬其中一問 —— 而最終的商業落點，寫在那張 $0.85M 到 $4.25M 的基因治療價格表上。
→ full notes: L4 · Genomics & Bioinformatics
💊 ABCT 102 — Pharmacology & Toxicology (Part 1, L1–L5)
L1 · Pharmacology & ADME
Exam focusVd formula, first-pass effect (why sublingual nitroglycerin works), Phase I vs II, MW 300/500 excretion cutoffs, probenecid + penicillin (competitive tubular secretion → prolongs penicillin).
Exam focusComparative bioavailability is measured against an IV reference (serum level of the IV form = 100%). Oral forms are compared to this gold standard. Inhalation's advantage is site-specific delivery to the airways.
Exam focusOnly the unbound / free fraction is pharmacologically active and available for distribution, metabolism, and excretion. High protein binding acts as a reservoir but limits immediate action.
Exam focusOnly unbound / free drugs are filtered — protein-bound drug behaves as a MACROMOLECULE and cannot pass the glomerulus. Ionized drugs cannot be filtered or reabsorbed; non-ionized (lipid-soluble) drugs undergo passive reabsorption, lowering urinary excretion.
Exam focusClinical use = enhance renal clearance in overdose / toxicity. The principle is identical for amphetamine (acidify) and aspirin/barbiturate (alkalinize) — know which direction for which charge.
Exam focusThe fraction of drug reaching an organ is proportional to its blood flow. Viscera + liver + kidney + brain (≈92.5% of output) are exposed first; adipose and heart last. This is why distribution, not just dose, sets onset/intensity/duration.
One-line Summary
English: ADME decides where a drug goes and how it leaves; only free drug is active, barriers and urine pH set access.
中文邏輯：ADME 決定藥去邊、點走；游離藥先活性，屏障同 pH 決定到達。
中文邏輯：ADME 決定藥去邊、點走；游離藥先活性，屏障同 pH 決定到達。
→ full notes: L1 · Pharmacology & ADME
L2 · Pharmacodynamics
Exam focusTherapeutic Index = TD50 / ED50 — larger = safer. Spare receptors. Desensitization (homologous) vs down-regulation. Potency (position on x-axis) vs efficacy (height).
Exam focusRelatively small amounts of drug, concentrated on small specific areas of cells, produce the effect. The three major bond types are covalent, electrostatic, and hydrophobic; covalent is the only typically irreversible one.
Exam focusExample from the slides: agonists A, B, C, D on the same receptor — drug A (~0.3 nM) is ~1000× more potent than drug D (300 nM). ED50 = concentration for 50% of maximum response. Potency = position on x-axis; efficacy = height of the curve.
Exam focusThe distinguishing feature is the distance the signal travels. Endocrine = bloodstream/long/slow/lasting; paracrine = local/high concentration; autocrine = self; gap junction = direct diffusion between neighbors.
Exam focus"The Law of Mass Action states that the rate of a reaction is proportional to the product of the concentrations of each reactant." This is the kinetic law behind the reversible binding equation [X] + [R] ↔ [XR] and behind why increasing free drug concentration (or affinity) shifts occupancy — and therefore response — up the curve. It is also the reason potency is a concentration-dependent, comparative term.
One-line Summary
English: Drugs act by binding receptors with affinity and efficacy; response scales with occupancy and TI sets the safety margin.
中文邏輯：藥靠親和力＋效能結受體；反應隨佔據升，TI 定安全邊際。
中文邏輯：藥靠親和力＋效能結受體；反應隨佔據升，TI 定安全邊際。
→ full notes: L2 · Pharmacodynamics
L3 · Autonomic Nervous System
Exam focusIndirect mechanisms: (i) displacing catecholamine from nerve endings (tyramine); (ii) inhibiting reuptake (cocaine, tricyclic antidepressants); (iii) preventing enzymatic metabolism (MAO and COMT inhibitors).
Exam focusα2 is the autoreceptor subtype — this is the mechanistic reason α2 agonists (e.g. clonidine) sedate and blunt the sympathetic response, and the reason nonselective α-blockade (blocking α2) can increase NE release and partially offset α1-mediated vasodilation.
Exam focusβ3 = the "metabolic" β subtype, distinct from β1 (heart) and β2 (airway/vessel). Remember the three β subtypes map onto three tissues: heart (β1), smooth muscle (β2), fat (β3).
One-line Summary
English: Two ANS divisions with opposing transmitters (NE vs ACh); each receptor subtype predicts the drug effect, and dose sets catecholamine action.
中文邏輯：兩個 division、相反 transmitter（NE vs ACh）；受體次型預測每個藥效，劑量決定兒茶酚胺作用。
中文邏輯：兩個 division、相反 transmitter（NE vs ACh）；受體次型預測每個藥效，劑量決定兒茶酚胺作用。
→ full notes: L3 · Autonomic Nervous System
L4 · Cardiovascular System
Exam focusACEI side effect = dry cough + hyperkalemia. Spironolactone = aldosterone antagonist (K⁺-sparing). Loop diuretic hypokalemia → monitor K⁺.
Exam focusThe "pulmonary exceptions" are a classic trap: the pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood (heart → lungs) and the pulmonary vein carries oxygenated blood (lungs → heart). Everywhere else, artery = O₂ / vein = de-O₂.
Exam focusKnow BOTH scales. The 2017 ACC/AHA thresholds (already on the card: Stage 1 = 130–139/80–89; Stage 2 ≥140/90) sit lower than the older WHO Grades — the 2017 guideline shifted millions into "hypertension." The 2025 update keeps the 2017 numbers.
Exam focusACEI side effects beyond the dry cough + hyperkalemia on the card: hypotension, renal dysfunction, angioedema, and anemia. ARBs spare the cough (they do not block bradykinin breakdown the way ACEIs do).
Exam focusPharmacological treatment goal: establish an effective, well-tolerated plasma concentration without toxic effects. Too little = no rhythm control; too much = pro-arrhythmia.
Exam focusERP (effective refractory period) = the window after an AP starts during which a new AP cannot fire. Class III drugs prolong ERP, suppressing re-entry tachyarrhythmias. Therapeutic use of IB agents (Lignocaine, Mexiletine) = ventricular arrhythmias, commonly used in hospital.
Source detail omitted from the cardThe lecture shows paired chest X-rays: a normal heart on the left versus an enlarged heart (mainly the left ventricle) on the right, used to confirm the main pumping chamber is not functioning normally. The card's HF section never mentions imaging; the X-ray is the classic non-invasive bedside confirmation of chamber enlargement in HF.
One-line Summary
English: BP is set by CO and PVR; four parallel drug classes hit the RAAS, heart, vessels, and volume, and arrhythmias are tamed by ion-current class.
中文邏輯：血壓由 CO×PVR 決定；四類藥分攻 RAAS、心、血管、容量；心律不正按離子電流分類處理。
中文邏輯：血壓由 CO×PVR 決定；四類藥分攻 RAAS、心、血管、容量；心律不正按離子電流分類處理。
→ full notes: L4 · Cardiovascular System
L5 · Central Nervous System
Exam focusKnow the receptor for opioids (μ) and the enzyme for NSAIDs/salicylates (COX-1 & COX-2). Aspirin = acetylsalicylic acid; celecoxib is the COX-2-selective example; sumatriptan and ergotamine are the anti-migraine exemplars.
Exam focusThe benzodiazepine α1 vs α2 GABA-A subtypes explain the split between sedative/anticonvulsant (α1) and anxiolytic (α2) effects — a classic "one drug, two receptors" exam point. Perampanel = the AMPA (glutamate) exemplar.
Exam focusMatch receptor to class: 5-HT₃ = ondansetron/granisetron; NK1 = aprepitant (substance P); M = scopolamine (motion sickness); D₂/M/H₁ = phenothiazines (severe).
Exam focusThe takeaway for the exam is taxonomy breadth: anti-epileptics are organised by chemical class, and the lecture names ~14 classes. The card's six rows cover the ones with a stated mechanism + example; the rest are "named, no detail" and are lower-yield but still lecture content.
One-line Summary
English: CNS drugs split into stimulants vs depressants; receptor class (μ, COX, GABA, 5-HT₃, D₂, NK1) pins each mechanism, and the BBB gates who gets in.
中文邏輯：中樞藥分興奮／抑制；受體類（μ、COX、GABA、5-HT₃、D₂、NK1）定咗每個機制，BBB 把關誰入腦。
中文邏輯：中樞藥分興奮／抑制；受體類（μ、COX、GABA、5-HT₃、D₂、NK1）定咗每個機制，BBB 把關誰入腦。
→ full notes: L6 · Central Nervous System
💊 ABCT 102 — Pharmacology & Toxicology (Part 2, L6–L9)
L6 · Respiratory System
Exam focusThe defining contrast: asthma is reversible bronchial hyperresponsiveness; COPD is not fully reversible and is driven by structural damage (smoking). Know which drug classes favour each — anticholinergics & roflumilast lean COPD; β₂-agonists & ICS lean asthma.
Exam focusShort-acting β₂-agonists = quick relief as needed; long-acting = regular control (adjunct when ICS alone fails). Theophylline's dose-dependent dual effect (anti-inflammatory low / bronchodilator high) is the trap — know both.
Exam focusMatch the mechanism: ICS = phospholipase A₂ / arachidonic acid; leukotriene modifier = 5-LOX (zileuton) or receptor (montelukast); PDE4 (roflumilast) = cAMP, COPD-only, not rescue. Inhaled route = lower dose + fewer side effects than oral steroids.
One-line Summary
English: Asthma is reversible, COPD is not; inhalation targets lungs directly with fewer systemic effects; drugs split by bronchodilation vs anti-inflammation.
中文邏輯：哮喘可逆、COPD 不可逆；吸入直達肺、全身副作用少；藥按擴張氣道與抗炎分工。
中文邏輯：哮喘可逆、COPD 不可逆；吸入直達肺、全身副作用少；藥按擴張氣道與抗炎分工。
→ full notes: L5 · Respiratory System
L7 · Chemotherapeutic Agents & Biologics
Exam focusKnow the contrast: healthy cells grow and die in a controlled way and typically repair themselves after chemo, whereas cancer cells do not — the therapy exploits this differential, not a magic bullet.
Exam focusNeutropenia (low neutrophils) is the dose-limiting toxicity that drives infection risk and treatment delays — the clinical reason oncologists monitor blood counts between cycles, not just tumor response.
Exam focusThe single most-tested contrast: biologics come from living systems via recombinant DNA and are heat-/microbial-sensitive, whereas small molecules come from a chemical synthesis process. This drives everything downstream — stability, route, and regulation.
Exam focus — MS targetsCD20 is a protein on B cells (elevated in some B-cell lymphomas/leukemias); anti-CD20 agents = Rituximab, Ocrelizumab, Ofatumumab, Alemtuzumab. CD25 is a component of the IL-2 receptor, important in T-cell proliferation and Treg/Teff function; anti-CD25 = Daclizumab.
Exam focusWomen surpassed men in new cases for two consecutive years (103 per 100). The five leading diagnoses were lung 5,978 (15.5%), colorectal 5,899 (15.3%), breast 5,592 (14.5%), prostate 3,038 (7.9%), liver 1,771 (4.6%).
One-line Summary
English: Cytotoxics hit all dividing cells; biologics hit defined targets from living systems; HK's top cancers drive the market.
中文邏輯：化療打所有分裂中細胞，生物藥打活系統來的明確靶點；香港五大癌驅動市場。
中文邏輯：化療打所有分裂中細胞，生物藥打活系統來的明確靶點；香港五大癌驅動市場。
→ full notes: L8 · Chemotherapeutic Agents & Biologics
L8 · Drug Safety & Side Effects
Exam focusThe core argument: trials prove efficacy in a narrow group; the real-world population is broader and messier, which is exactly why unexpected ADRs surface only after approval.
Exam focusSafety requires the expected benefits to exceed the risks of harmful reactions. This benefit-risk balance is the principle regulators and pharmacovigilance act on across the lifecycle.
Exam focusSame enzyme axis, opposite direction: grapefruit inhibits CYP450 (levels up), St. John's wort induces it (levels down). Know which foods/herbs move levels which way.
Exam focusTie the ethical exclusion to the "trial blind spot": the very populations most sensitive to ADRs (children, elderly, pregnant women) are the least studied pre-approval, so PV is disproportionately important for them.
One-line Summary
English: Most ADRs are preventable; trials miss real-world risks, so frequency grading and pharmacovigilance close the gap.
中文邏輯：多數 ADR 可預防；試驗漏掉真實世界風險，頻率分級與藥物警戒補缺口。
中文邏輯：多數 ADR 可預防；試驗漏掉真實世界風險，頻率分級與藥物警戒補缺口。
→ full notes: L7 · Drug Safety & Side Effects
L9 · Animals in Research & Alternative Medicine
Exam focusMice and rats make up ~95% of all laboratory animals, with mice the most common. Humans are about 3,000× larger than mice, yet almost all mouse genes share functions with human genes — same organs in the same places, similar circulatory, reproductive, digestive, hormonal and nervous systems. Decades of reliable mouse/rat data underpin new and repurposed drug development.
Exam focusThe lecture's bottom line on CAM: generally well-tolerated, but "natural ≠ safe" and evidence is weaker than for mainstream medicine. Be able to contrast complementary (used with) vs alternative (used instead of) and to name the major modalities and their documented limits.
Exam focusIf asked for acupuncture detail beyond "12 meridians / 365 points," the five-shu classification (well → spring → stream → river → sea, distal to elbow/knee) is the specific concept the lecture adds.
One-line SummaryEnglish: Animals are strictly-regulated, ethics-gated research models governed by the 3Rs; CAM contrasts complementary (with) vs alternative (instead), and "natural ≠ safe" is the key safety lesson.
中文邏輯：實驗動物是受嚴格規管、以 3Rs 為原則的倫理研究工具；輔助醫學「併用」、替代醫學「取代」常規，且「天然不等於安全」是核心安全重點。
中文邏輯：實驗動物是受嚴格規管、以 3Rs 為原則的倫理研究工具；輔助醫學「併用」、替代醫學「取代」常規，且「天然不等於安全」是核心安全重點。
→ full notes: L9 · Animals in Research & Alternative Medicine
⚖️ ABCT 103 — IP Strategy for Biotech Entrepreneurship
L1 · IP Fundamentals
Exam focusKnow the line: copyright covers expression, never the underlying idea. A biotech SOP, manual, booklet or software counts — but the scientific concept behind it does not.
Exam focusBe able to identify every IP type present in a product (the mRNA-vaccine and Grapple exercises). The answer is never one right — it is a bundled portfolio.
Exam focusWhen mapping IP types onto a product (mRNA vaccine, Grapple shoe), match each asset to the correct category using these concrete examples — e.g. a secret manufacturing process is a trade secret, the product name is a trademark, the SOP is copyright, and the molecule/method is a patent.
One-line SummaryEnglish: IP turns an invention into a defensible, licensable asset; the five main rights plus the extended toolkit (plant patent, domain name, trade dress, know-how) form a bundled portfolio.
中文邏輯：IP 把發明變成可防禦、可授權的資產；五大權利加延伸工具（植物專利、域名、trade dress、know-how）構成捆綁組合。
中文邏輯：IP 把發明變成可防禦、可授權的資產；五大權利加延伸工具（植物專利、域名、trade dress、know-how）構成捆綁組合。
→ full notes: L1 · IP Fundamentals
L2 · Patenting in Biotechnology
Exam focusThe three judicial exceptions are: laws of nature, natural phenomena, abstract ideas. For biopharma the live ones are products-of-nature and diagnostic correlations.
Exam focusPatentability ≠ freedom-to-operate. You can patent an improvement on someone else's molecule yet still be blocked from selling by their broader compound patent.
Exam focusAdd a limitation (e.g. "supporting surface smaller than 2×2 feet") and a claim becomes valid over Prior Art 1 & 2 — until Prior Art 3 appears with that same limitation, then it falls. Design-around and validity both live in the claim language.
Exam focusMap the timeline precisely: Parent/priority (0 mo, e.g. US Provisional) → Paris Convention / PCT (12 mo) → PCT publication (18 mo) → OA replies → National Phase entry (30 mo) → Grant; divisionals can be carved out along the way.
One-line SummaryEnglish: You can patent a biotech invention yet still be blocked from selling it by another's broader patent — eligibility, obviousness, claims and jurisdiction all decide the outcome.
中文邏輯：能拿專利，也不代表能自由上市——還看別人的基礎專利；適格性、顯而易見性、請求項與管轄權共同決定結果。
中文邏輯：能拿專利，也不代表能自由上市——還看別人的基礎專利；適格性、顯而易見性、請求項與管轄權共同決定結果。
→ full notes: L2 · Patenting in Biotechnology
L3 · Ethical & Controversial Aspects of Biotech Patenting
Exam focusMoore is the canonical consent-vs-ownership case. Patients cannot sue for conversion of excised tissue, but researchers who hide commercial interests breach fiduciary duty — the warning every tissue biobank must heed.
Exam focusMayo (2012) and Myriad (2013) together raised the bar for diagnostics. A test that observes a natural correlation and says "now treat accordingly" fails §101. Start-ups must show an inventive concept beyond the natural law — or use trade secrets.
Exam focusTwo recurring tensions: (1) commodification of life vs. the utilitarian need to incentivise R&D; (2) access/social justice vs. exclusive commercial rights. Both trace to whether a gene is a product of nature or an invention.
One-line Summary
English: Biotech patenting sits on the fault line between "discovery" (not patentable) and "invention" (patentable), and five landmark cases plus the TRIPS / ordre-public framework show the line is drawn differently across the US, EU and China — with real consequences for what a company can own, where it can operate, and how it must handle consent, FTO and ethics.
中文邏輯：生物科技專利卡在「發現不專利、發明才專利」的界線；Chakrabarty、Moore、OncoMouse、Myriad、Mayo 五判例與 TRIPS / ordre public 框架顯示美歐中畫線不同，直接決定企業能擁有何物、在哪營運，以及同意、FTO 與倫理如何處理。
中文邏輯：生物科技專利卡在「發現不專利、發明才專利」的界線；Chakrabarty、Moore、OncoMouse、Myriad、Mayo 五判例與 TRIPS / ordre public 框架顯示美歐中畫線不同，直接決定企業能擁有何物、在哪營運，以及同意、FTO 與倫理如何處理。
→ full notes: L3 · Ethical & Controversial Aspects of Biotech Patenting
🧭 ABCT T01 — Academic Integrity & Ethics
Academic Integrity & Ethics
Exam focusThe course is titled "Academic Integrity and Ethics" — know both: the five academic-integrity values AND the ethical theories / principles. Don't answer only the bioethics half.
Exam focusThe fault line is somatic vs germline: somatic edits stay in the patient; germline (embryo) edits pass to descendants — that is the line ethicists fight over.
Exam focusThe takeaway: hard work ≠ inventorship. You must contribute to the core, patentable concept. Typical MCQ tests whether "Stern's record / experiment is sufficient for co-inventorship" — the answer is no.
Exam focusTestable statement: Roizman did owe a duty to inform Chou and Chou could challenge inventorship under 35 U.S.C. §256 — so "Roizman owed no duty" and "Chou lacks standing" are wrong. The correct findings are breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment.
Exam focusTwo lessons are explicitly testable: (1) fabrication/falsification can be detected through data patterns (e.g. identical values off by 0.3, or uniformly ending in 5); (2) external oversight mattered — traditional institutional self-regulation failed, while external watchdogs (including social media) exposed the misconduct. Consequences are real and career-ending.
Assessment — one deliverable, know the deadlineIndividual video presentation. Select an academic-related scenario/case (from news media or other sources) and make a ~3-minute video, with your face shown, presenting three things:
(1) Background · (2) Integrity and ethics issues and outcomes · (3) Your decision and justification
Submit on Canvas by Wednesday of Week 5 — 23:59, 30 September 2026. Selected videos are shown and discussed in Week 6.
(1) Background · (2) Integrity and ethics issues and outcomes · (3) Your decision and justification
Submit on Canvas by Wednesday of Week 5 — 23:59, 30 September 2026. Selected videos are shown and discussed in Week 6.
Exam focusThe quote distils deontology's core: the moral law within (duty/principle) ranks with the cosmos. Expect it as a recognisable marker of the Kantianism row in the three-theories table.
Exam focusPair this with the Geng case: NSFC's 3–7 year grant bans + fund recovery are the deterrent, not just "a letter of criticism."
Exam focusBoth MCQs test the same lesson: contribution/collaboration ≠ inventorship, and a supervisor's fiduciary duty to inform is real. "None of the above" and "B and D only" are the source's own answer keys.
One-line Summary
English: Academic integrity rests on five values; ethical analysis uses three theories and four principles; real misconduct cases (STAP, Geng, Wakefield, He Jiankui, BMAL1) show why oversight, consent, transparency and the precautionary principle matter — and the outcome of dilemmas is often decided by the legal system.
中文邏輯：學術誠信建基五大價值；倫理分析用三理論四原則；真實不端個案（STAP、耿、Wakefield、賀建奎、BMAL1）說明監督、知情同意、透明與預防原則的重要——兩難結果常由法律系統裁決。
中文邏輯：學術誠信建基五大價值；倫理分析用三理論四原則；真實不端個案（STAP、耿、Wakefield、賀建奎、BMAL1）說明監督、知情同意、透明與預防原則的重要——兩難結果常由法律系統裁決。
→ full notes: Academic Integrity & Ethics