Journal of Law and the Biosciences

Journal of Law and the Biosciences is a peer-reviewed, open-access academic journal that publishes interdisciplinary scholarship at the intersection of medical ethics, biotechnology, and constitutional law. Launched in the mid-2010s, the journal convenes legal scholars, bioethicists, clinicians, and policymakers from institutions such as Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, Stanford Law School, University of Oxford, and McGill University. Contributions often address cutting-edge developments involving actors like Food and Drug Administration, United States Supreme Court, European Court of Human Rights, and organizations such as World Health Organization and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

History

The journal was established in 2014 by founders affiliated with Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School, and Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society to respond to emerging challenges posed by innovations from entities like CRISPR Therapeutics, Editas Medicine, Intellia Therapeutics, and research programs at Broad Institute. Early editorial leadership included academics connected to Yale University, Columbia University, and University of Pennsylvania, and advisory board members drawn from National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. Its inaugural volumes featured articles engaging high-profile cases and actors such as Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc., Morrison v. National Australia Bank, and debates around policies advanced by European Commission and U.S. Congress. Over time the journal built partnerships with conferences hosted by American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, International Society for Stem Cell Research, and symposia at Oxford University Press venues.

Scope and Topics

The journal covers topics at the nexus of legal institutions and life sciences developments, including analysis of litigation like Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc., regulatory responses by Food and Drug Administration, and policy initiatives from European Medicines Agency. Articles examine ethical and legal implications of technologies developed at places such as Broad Institute, Salk Institute, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and companies including Genentech, 23andMe, and Illumina. Contributors write on subjects touching on intellectual property disputes involving Biogen, privacy controversies featuring Google DeepMind, and governance frameworks proposed by Council of Europe and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The journal publishes scholarship addressing clinical research oversight involving World Health Organization, organ transplantation policy debated in contexts like United Network for Organ Sharing, and public health law questions highlighted by outbreaks such as Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa (2013–2016), Zika virus outbreak (2015–2016), and COVID-19 pandemic.

Editorial and Publication Model

The editorial board has included prominent figures from Harvard University, Yale University, University of Toronto, McGill University, and University of Cambridge, and editors who previously served at institutions like Georgetown University Law Center and Duke University School of Law. The journal follows a double-blind peer review practice managed by editors who liaise with reviewers drawn from faculties at Stanford University School of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, and Imperial College London. Published by Oxford University Press, the journal uses an open-access publishing model aligned with funder mandates from entities such as Wellcome Trust, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and UK Research and Innovation. Special issues have been guest-edited in collaboration with conferences hosted by American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and thematic workshops at European Society of Human Genetics.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed in major bibliographic and legal databases, including listings alongside journals catalogued by Clarivate, records in services used by institutions like Harvard Library, and aggregations consulted by researchers at National Library of Medicine, HeinOnline, and SSRN. Abstracting platforms used by scholars from Yale Law Library, British Library, and Library of Congress include services that track citations to articles discussing cases such as Roe v. Wade-era precedents and policy instruments from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The journal’s metadata are discoverable through indexes employed by faculties at University of California, Berkeley, University of Chicago, and New York University.

Impact and Reception

Scholarly reception highlights the journal’s role influencing debates involving the United States Supreme Court, regulatory agencies like Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency, and advisory bodies such as Nuffield Council on Bioethics and National Institutes of Health. Articles have been cited in legal briefs filed before tribunals including European Court of Human Rights and in policy reports produced by World Health Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and Council of Europe. The journal has been reviewed favorably in academic forums at Harvard Law Review symposia, discussed in panels at American Society of International Law, and referenced in curricular materials at Yale Law School and Georgetown University Law Center. Its influence extends to debates over gene editing led by researchers at Broad Institute and regulatory deliberations influenced by stakeholders such as Genentech and Illumina.

Category:Academic journals