Supreme Court rules human genes are not patentable

 "Supreme Court Says Human Genes Aren’t Patentable,” reads a June 13 headline on the Wall Street Journal website. The case considered Myriad Genetics, Inc., and its holding of patents related to two genes (BRCA 1 and BRCA 2) that can be used to assess certain cancer risks in women.

The justices’ opinion reads:

Held: A naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated, but cDNA is patent eligible because it is not naturally occurring.

Click here to read the full, 18-page opinion.