Thursday, June 13, 2013

BREAKING NEWS: Genes May Not Be Patented

This is HUGE.  The Supreme Court has unanimously decided human genes may not be patented.  
The US Supreme Court unanimously decided Thursday that human genes cannot be patented, in a landmark decision that is seen as a major win for researchers and patients, who have argued that allowing patents on human genes impedes research and harms patients’ ability to find out their risk for disease.   boston.com

Having read "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" last year, I can only wonder what her family is feeling right now.
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and more. Henrietta’s cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can’t afford health insurance.   Rebecca Skloot, author of "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks"


Given all that's ongoing in our country now, the invasion of personal privacy without our knowledge or consent, the government's callous disregard of First Fourth & possibly Ninth Amendment rights, this is a very large victory. 




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2 comments:

Bill Lisleman said...

I agree with this patent decision. I think the patent system needs to be revised. It has become a big money game and does not seem to help the inventor anymore.
We might disagree about the NSA stuff but I'm not sure.

injaynesworld said...

I read "Henrietta..." last year, too, and was riveted. Nice to see the Supremes score one for the people for a change.

Christina

Christina
by Cole Scott