The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on April 15 in the case of Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics. At issue is whether patents on human genes held by Myriad Genetics, Inc. are valid.
Myriad was sued by a group of medical researchers, associations, and patients in 2009, and a federal judge determined that the patents on two genes linked to breast and ovarian cancer were invalid. An appeals court later overturned that ruling, leading to the Supreme Court showdown. A ruling should be announced by late spring or early summer.