A US federal district court has ruled that certain patent claims for two human genes – BRCA1 and BRCA2, which are associated with breast and ovarian cancer – are invalid1.
The decision, which has come as a shock for the biotech industry2, is being hailed by patient advocacy groups and scientists because it is the “first time [that] a court has found patents on genes unlawful and calls into question the validity of patents now held on approximately 2,000 human genes”3,4...
