DNA patents invalidated

In a ruling with potentially far-reaching implications for the patenting of human genes, a judge in New York struck down a company's patents on two genes linked to an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

The ruling by US District Judge Robert Sweet challenging whether anyone can hold patents on human genes was expected to have broad implications for the biotechnology industry and genetics-based medical research.

Sweet said he invalidated the patents because DNA's existence in an isolated form does not alter the fundamental quality of DNA as it exists in the body nor the information it encodes.