Created: 06/14/2013 9:16 AM KSTP.com By: Jenna Jaynes
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that companies cannot patent human genes, paving the way for other companies to research genes and test people for them.
A Utah company owned the rights to two genes linked to increased risks of breast and ovarian cancer, the BRCA genes. After Thursday's unanimous ruling, it was determined patents shouldn't be given to something in the human body.
KSTP's Megan Newquist was joined by Shari Baldinger, a genetic counselor with Allina Health, to talk about the significance of the ruling.