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Lawsuit Filed Over Gene Patent
A group of cancer patients, genetic researchers and professional pathologist organizations has filed a lawsuit against Myriad Genetics and the U.S. Patent Office over the patent of two genes associated with an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers, the New York Times reports. According to the Times, the government more than 10 years ago granted Myriad the patent on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, as well as the company"s genetic test that measures a patient"s risk for the cancers.The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and is believed to be the first of its kind, the Times reports. The lawsuit challenges the decision to grant patents on genes to Myriad and companies like it. The plaintiffs say that patents on genes restrict medical and research efforts, while companies like Myriad have said that the patent system supports innovation by giving them a temporary monopoly after they make a discovery, thereby rewarding prior investment in research and development.Wendy Chung, the director of clinical genetics at Columbia University and a plaintiff in the case, said, "With a sole provider, there"s mediocrity." The plaintiffs say that BRCA testing would improve with market competition. Furthermore, some plaintiffs argue that certain natural materials cannot be patented. Jan Nowak, president of the Association for Molecular Pathology and a plaintiff in the case, said, "You can"t patent my DNA, any more than you can patent my right arm, or patent my blood."To date, two government panels, including the National Research Council, found no evidence that gene patents result in significant impediments to research or medical care (Schwartz, New York Times, 5/13).

Amira Pharmaceuticals To Present Preclinical Data From LPA1 Receptor Antagonist Program At FASEB Summer Research Conference
Amira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it will present preclinical data from its LPA1 receptor antagonist program on June 30, 2009 at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Summer Research Conference in Carefree, Arizona.
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Genetic Of Muscular Dystrophy Neutralized
Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have found a way to block the genetic flaw at the heart of a common form of muscular dystrophy. The results of the study, which were published in the journal Science, could pave the way for new therapies that essentially reverse the symptoms of the disease.
Oncology

Americans Who Say They Are In Excellent Health Enjoy More "Special" Birthday Celebrations

As the official sponsor of birthdays, the American Cancer Society announced new survey results that show people who say they are in excellent health enjoy better birthdays. The online survey of 2,002 U.S. adults, which demonstrated a strong link between health and attitudes about birthdays, revealed that people who say they are in excellent health are more likely to consider birthdays special and exciting events. In addition, people who say they are in excellent health are nearly twice as likely to love celebrating birthdays, generally consider them fun and feel more special on their birthday than people who say they are in poor health. "The American Cancer Society sees birthdays as symbolic of the progress we are making together with our supporters to help people stay well and get well, to find cures and fight back against cancer," said Elizabeth T.H. Fontham, M.P.H, Dr.P.H., national volunteer president, American Cancer Society. "This survey reinforces the benefits of a healthy lifestyle: eating right, being active, maintaining an appropriate weight, not smoking, and getting timely cancer screenings. Not only are these important ways to stay well, but, according to the findings, will also help make birthday celebrations with family and friends more enjoyable." Other key survey findings showed that perceptions of excellent health are directly tied to positive views of birthdays: - People who say they are in excellent health are more than twice as likely to think it is important to celebrate their own birthday (46 versus 21 percent). - People who say they are in excellent health are more likely to plan something special on their birthday (55 versus 25 percent) and want to celebrate their birthday with as many people as possible (33 versus 15 percent). - People who say they are in excellent health are more likely to want a lot of attention on their birthday (36 versus 18 percent), like people to know it"s their birthday (43 versus 27 percent) and prefer to tell people what they"d like for a birthday gift (28 versus 15 percent). The American Cancer Society invites people to join the movement to create a world with more birthdays by visiting morebirthdays.com where they can declare the American Cancer Society the official sponsor of their birthday, download a healthy "how to" birthday kit and send e-cards to friends and family. People can also spread the word via Facebook or by visiting the Society"s OfficialBirthdayBlog.com. About the Survey The online survey was conducted by Millward Brown among a sample of 2,002 adults age 18 and older between March 25 and April 1, 2009. The survey data is representative of national proportions by age, gender, ethnicity and region. Respondents were asked to self identify their health status as excellent, good, fair or poor. Research was conducted by online panels. The margin of sampling error for the results is +/- 2.2 percentage points. Margin of error is greater when analyzing smaller subgroups within the sample. American Cancer Society


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