With the Supreme Court about to hear a landmark case on gene patents, Myriad Genetics, the company that owns the patents under scrutiny, is going on the offensive.
His initial idea was to use gene databases being churned out by genetics maverick J.
Back in 2003, Kathryn North and colleagues at the University of Sydney published a paper in a leading genetics journal about a gene called ACTN3.
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Initially she inserted the gene using bacteria, but then her colleagues managed to breed the ancient rice with modern varieties using genetics-assisted breeding technologies, which transferred the flood-resistance gene and not much else.
Now Myriad Genetics is pushing a proprietary 46-gene test that predicts whether your prostate cancer will kill you.
For example, DeCode last week published a paper describing a gene related to stroke in the scientific journal Nature Genetics.
Last month Myriad Genetics said it had discovered an obesity gene.
Numerous companies including 23andme, Decode Genetics, and Navigenics, now sell gene tests or gene scans that purport to identify your risk of various common diseases.
DeCode Genetics announced this morning that it had found a gene linked to obesity, prompting a milestone payment from its partner Merck .
In one of the largest-ever studies of genetics and autism, researchers have identified 24 new gene variants associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
Patient groups are sponsoring drug discovery at other firms, including Iceland's Decode Genetics and England's Oxford BioMedica, which is plying a gene-therapy approach.
In contrast, a genomics firm like Iceland's DeCode Genetics (nasdaq: DCGN - news - people ) might apply for 350 gene patents--as DeCode did today--that might make money someday, but still post a loss.
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