CGS-authored
Should researchers be allowed to patent your genes?
No, said a U.S. district court in a ruling that opponents contend will undercut the basis of the biotechnology industry.
But human genes belong to humanity, the court seemed to say. They should not be acquired, exploited and their secrets sold for individual profit.
"Natural things aren't patentable," Jesse Reynolds, a policy analyst at the Center for Genetics and Society, told the Associated Press in analyzing the ruling. "Inventions are."
At issue were patents held by Myriad Genetics Inc. on genes linked to increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Remember, these patents were not held on processes or pharmacology derived from research on the genes but rather on the very genes themselves.
With an exclusive patent on the genes, Myriad was the only company permittied to look at the genes to determine if patients' bodies carried a greater risk of these cancers. Knowing the risk would help patients determine whether to get more frequent or aggressive testing to determine if cancer is developing in their bodies.
Supporters of the patent argue...