Earlier this month, Myriad Genetics filed patent infringement lawsuits against Ambry Genetics (on July 9th) and Gene-by-Gene (on July 10th).
For better or worse, we live in a world that Myriad made. In 1997, genetic diagnosis of cancer risk was in its infancy; traditional genetic linkage analysis had been successfully performed for diseases like Huntington’s disease and other rare genetic diseases. While some academic researchers had identified genes involved in cancer, these were typically loss-of-function mutations in several (~5-6) genes. BRCA gene analysis was different, because it predicted with ~90% certainty that an affected woman would develop breast or ovarian cancer.
Myriad asserts that it spent about half a billion dollars to establish its business. The company did not spend this money due to altruism, and it intends to fight to retain control.
Read the full, original story here: Why Does Myriad Think It Can Win BRCA Gene Lawsuits?
