The following is an excerpt.
Angelina Jolie‘s decision to speak out about her decision to have a preventive double mastectomy was intended to highlight the terrible risks of breast cancer. But the film star’s move also cast a spotlight on the far less known arena of patent battles over genetic technology which could have far more impact than Jolie’s widely applauded move.
Before the end of next month the US supreme court will issue a landmark decision in a case brought against the biotech firm Myriad Genetics, which is based in Utah, by the Association for Molecular Pathology.
The firm owns a patent on the BRCA1 gene, which Jolie carries and which is believed to carry a high risk of causing breast cancer. It also owns a patent on the similar BRCA2 gene.
Read the full story here: Angelina Jolie’s cancer decision highlights row over genetic technology
