Lawsuit On Gene Patents May Increase Demand For Paralegals
May 13, 2009
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The ACLU and a host of other plaintiffs have challenged the legality of granting patents on genes, specifically BRCA1 and BRCA2, two genes known to be involved in breast and ovarian cancer.
"Patents are meant to protect inventions, not things that exist in nature like genes in the human body," said Chris Hansen, a staff attorney with the ACLU. "Genes isolated from the human body are no more patentable than gold extracted from a mountain."
The patent on the genes, held by a company in Utah called Myriad, were granted in 1998, and mean that Myriad has the exclusive right to perform diagnostic tests on the genes, which they charge roughly $3,000 a test for, according to CNN.
The ACLU's lawsuit challenges the whole notion of gene patenting, which means it could have far ranging effects that would create an upheaval in the law concerning the field of biomedical research. Roughly 20 percent of all human genes are patented, including genes related to many diseases.
Determining the legality and constitutionality of patents is a huge undertaking, the kind that could create many paralegal jobs. If helping determine how medical science proceeds in the future appeals to you, maybe it's time to look into a paralegal degree.
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