Cancer patient takes BRCA1 gene mutation patent decision to high court
by Melissa Davey from on (#BDZ5)
Yvonne D'Arcy is hopeful the high court will overturn a ruling that gives private companies the right to control certain mutations in human genes
A long-running fight to stop private companies from owning the rights to isolated human gene mutations has reached Australia's high court, and is the last legal hope for those seeking to stop gene patenting.
The case dates back to December 2013, when the federal court of Australia ruled that a US-based biotech company, Myriad Genetics, had the right to a patent over a cancer-causing mutation of the BRCA1 gene.
