Ken Chahine, a Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Utah College of Law, was quoted in a March 29, 2010 article in The New York Times, “Judge Invalidates Human Gene Patent.”
The article concerns a decision by United States District Court Judge Robert Sweet that invalidated seven patents related to two genes whose mutations have been associated with cancer. Myriad Genetics, which holds the patents with the University of Utah Research Foundation, argued that the effort required to isolate the DNA from the body “transforms it and makes it patentable,” according to the article.
Chahine, who filed an amicus brief on behalf of Myriad, told The Times that the decision, if upheld, “would have a pretty significant impact on the future of medicine.” He also stated that the decision could negatively affect the ability of biotech companies to raise funds from investors.
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