"Editorial: Are Human Genes Patentable?" at http://t.co/4ygwRQF1xS
April 15, 2013
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BRCA1 and BRCA2, abbreviations for breast cancer 1 and 2, are the names of human genes linked to a significant increase in the risk of breast and ovarian cancer for women. In 1997 and 1998, Myriad Genetics, based in Utah, obtained broad patents on the isolated DNA it managed to extract from these genes and on diagnostic tests to find the genes.