Economic aspects of synthetic biology

This dissertation consists of three studies on the economic ramifications of Synthetic Biology. The first study analyzes to what extent scientists respect patents and what drives them to willfully ignore them. the second establishes a method to classify gene sequences by their provenance and enhances our understanding of how naturally occurring gene sequences differ from the use of synthetically produced sequences. The third study discusses the effects of research tools and how they can help to overcome the „burden of knowledge“ and improve researcher productivity.