The following is an excerpt.
Angelina Jolie’s recent double mastectomy was obviously a very radical decision. It is unusual for a healthy person to opt for pre-emptive surgery to avert the probability, however high it may be, of getting cancer. The tests Jolie relied on are also at the heart of a legal battle, which could affect US biotech patenting norms. Since the US is the global R&D leader, and other nations tend to fall in line with US practice, the outcome will have a far-reaching impact on research into stem cells, vaccines, antibiotics, insulin, enzymes and so on.
Read the full story here: Can genes be patented?
