The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday that human genes cannot be patented, a decision that could shape the future of medical and genetic research and have profound effects on pharmaceuticals and agriculture.
Simply because Myriad Genetics Inc. found the location of genes that were linked to breast and ovarian cancer, wrote Justice Clarence Thomas, doesn’t mean they should be able to claim patents on them.
“That discovery, by itself, does not render the BRCA genes . . . patent eligible.”
(READ the story in the Washington Post)