The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that human genes may not be
patented. The University of Michigan has several experts available to comment
on the implications of the ruling.
Shobita Parthasarathy is an associate professor at the Ford
School of Public Policy who wrote an expert declaration on behalf of the
plaintiffs in the case. She said the U.S. Supreme Court decision was narrow, as
expected. "While it prohibited patents on genes simply isolated from the
body, it permitted patents on cDNA (DNA with the non-coding sequence
extracted). Scientists will, therefore, still have to contend with gene
patents. This will likely continue to have a deleterious effect on genetics
research and access to health care in the United States." Parthasarathy
can be reached at (734) 764-8075, (773) 882-3897 or at shobita@umich.edu. Link
to a video of Parthasarathy discussing the issues in the case:
http://fordschool.umich.edu/policypoints/2264027569001/