Chris and Jonathan speak to Dean Tania Bubela from Simon Fraser University, an expert on scientific innovations and intellectual property. The big question: as we try to get COVID-19 vaccines into more arms and in a more equitable fashion worldwide, should the patents pharmaceutical companies have on these vaccines be lifted? And what would a better system look like when the next pandemic hits us?   3:45 What is a patent? 8:00 Patents in biomedicine 12:58 To lift or not to lift COVID-19 vaccine patents? 17:15 The potential of the mRNA platform 28:30 Bill Gates, his love of IP, and the Oxford University-AstraZeneca deal 35:34 A better system involving public-private partnerships 40:51 Do we need pharma? 46:22 Does pharma deserve our trust?   If you want to apply to be our social media manager, you can find the details here: https://bodyofevidence.ca/looking-for-part-time-social-media-manager   * Theme music: “Fall of the Ocean Queen“ by Joseph Hackl.   To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.   Patrons get a bonus show on Patreon called “Digressions”! Check it out!     Links: 1) Tania Bubela on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bubela_tania