Summary DNA is a product of nature and not eligible for a patent merely because it has been isolated.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Supreme Court says companies cannot patent human genes, a decision that could profoundly affect the medical and biotechnology industries.
In a unanimous decision, the court struck down patents held by Myriad Genetics Inc. on two genes linked to increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Opponents say patent protection shouldn t be given to something that can be found inside the human body.
But lower courts approved, saying Myriad s genes could be patented because the DNA it isolated and took from the body has a "markedly different chemical structure" from DNA found naturally within the body.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the DNA is a product of nature and not eligible for a patent merely because it has been isolated.
