The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday that companies cannot patent human genes, a decision that patient advocates said would increase competition and lower the cost of screenings for cancer risk and other genetic tests.

DNA is “a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated,” the court said. In something of a compromise, it ruled that genetic material created in laboratories is eligible for patent protection.

The case centered on a Salt Lake City company called Myriad Genetics that was granted patents for isolating two human genes, known as BRCA1 and BRCA2, that indicate a higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The company now markets tests for those genes.

BRCA1 is the gene carried by actress Angelina Jolie, who determined...CONTINUE: http://crimefacts.org/us-supreme-court-says-human-genes-cant-be-patented-as-anti-patent-advocates-cheer/