Mar 30, 2010 0
Breast Cancer Gene Patents Struck Down
A biotechnology company that holds patents on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes may lose them after a federal judge ruled that seven of their 23 patents involving the genes tied to breast and ovarian cancers should not have been granted, the New York Times reports. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Patent Foundation filed a suit last year, claiming that patents held by Myriad Genetics kept competitors from creating tests to find mutations in the genes and stifled research.If the court’s decision is upheld, the biotechnology industry would “have to get more creative about how to retain exclusivity and attract capital in the face of potentially weaker patent protection,” said Kenneth Chahine, who filed an amicus brief for Myriad, the Times reports. Read the rest of this entry »
October is officially tagged “Breast Cancer Awareness Month”. Of recent, there have been a lot of medical breakthroughs in the detection and treatment of Breast Cancer. Scientists have identified more accurate tools for screening younger women who are more likely to get the most dangerous forms and new strategies have also been developed for the treatment of newly diagnosed pregnant women. Advanced research has led to the development of better, less toxic drugs to guard against recurrences. 
Hélio de Carvalho knows all too well that breast cancer isn’t only a women’s illness.The Brazilian immigrant, 52, not only lived with the disease, but survived due to early detection.”I found it during a game with my ex-wife. I made her do self-exams and she told me I would have to do it too. That’s precisely when we noticed a lump on me. I thought it was nothing, but the doctor detected cancer,” Carvalho said. 
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