By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    An Expert’s Guide To Building and Improving Endurance
    June 30, 2022
    medical assistants
    What Do Medical Assistants Do On a Day to Day Basis?
    April 5, 2022
    superfoods to help with prostate health
    10 Healthy Foods That Can Help Protect Your Prostate
    August 29, 2022
    Latest News
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    healthcare cost crisis
    What If the Health Care Cost Crisis Solves Itself?
    May 11, 2013
    Do You Need Life Insurance? What Does It Cover?
    December 23, 2022
    HIE metal plans
    The Four “Metal Plans” of Health Insurance Exchanges
    May 28, 2013
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: On Patenting Genes and Their Correlations: It’s a Chicken-Egg Problem
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Technology > Medical Innovations > On Patenting Genes and Their Correlations: It’s a Chicken-Egg Problem
BusinessMedical Innovations

On Patenting Genes and Their Correlations: It’s a Chicken-Egg Problem

Kenneth Walz
Kenneth Walz
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

Last month, my colleague Shane Climie wrote a post inspired by an article in the New Yo

Last month, my colleague Shane Climie wrote a post inspired by an article in the New York Times (“How Bright Promise in Cancer Testing Fell Apart”), which exposed disturbing and cautionary insights into the application of genetic testing technology. Today, I’m responding to a recent New York Times article in which reporter Andrew Pollack wrote of challenges facing Myriad Genetics in spite of the company having received a victory when a federal appeals court upheld the company’s patents on two human genes ­– and the validity of gene patents.

It’s worth checking out Andy’s article for more context, but here are my two cents on some of the issues covered:

  • My hunch is that eventually courts will rule (and in so doing give clear guidance) that while products of nature cannot be patented, companies likely will be able to continue to patent the knowledge that a gene or other physiological marker (all of which are “products of nature”) correlates to a particular condition, disease, and/or drug response. This is a key point of clarity that is needed in order for the field of “personalized medicine” to reach its full potential.
  • As is clear from some of the expert and company representative quotes in the article, what we’re looking at here is a chicken-egg situation. In most cases, clinical validation that a gene correlates with a particular condition (or another type of correlation) is made possible by the investment of capital in a private company’s research, and the investors depend on the research entity having patent protection to help generate a return on their investment. On the other hand, society as a whole (i.e., public health) may be worse-off if use of the knowledge of the correlation is not allowed or made widely available.
  • And, as we’ve written about in previous blog posts, whole genome sequencing will soon be done at a relatively low cost but how the resulting data is interpreted and used will continue to present challenges and be subject to the competing forces described above.

As life science consults with deep experience in medical devices and in genomics research, this issue is fascinating to the Popper and Company team. How does it strike you? Do you agree that this boils down to a chicken vs. egg situation or do you see it differently? Do you have any specific insights on the Myriad situation or similar business examples? We welcome your thoughts on this important topic.

More Read

Tissue Engineering and Cell Therapy Market Outlook
Statistics on Medicare Re-Hospitalizations and Readmissions Penalties
Hospital Marketing Lessons from the Mayo Clinic
The Art of Strategic Communications Planning and Content Marketing
The Increasing Problem of Chronic Wounds and Their Medtech Solutions

This post originally appeared on the Popper and Company blog.

TAGGED:gene patentsgeneticsgenomics researchpatenting genespersonalized medicine
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

technology in medical research
The Tools Helping Medical Researchers See the Full Picture
News Technology
August 3, 2025
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
Health
July 31, 2025
holistic dental
Holistic Dentist Services Are Natural and Safe
Dental health Specialties
July 28, 2025
botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025

You Might also Like

mobile email
BusinessSocial Media

10 Ways to Perfect Your Email Marketing

August 21, 2015

Health Start-Ups! – FDA-Cleared iPhone App Measures Balance As a Part of Concussion Screening

June 30, 2013

Cue the Confetti! Startups Can Begin Soliciting Investors on Monday

September 22, 2013
Health careMedical Innovations

These Advances In Healthcare Technology Are Changing The Industry

April 15, 2019
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?