Rambling about science and law
I just found out that there is a case that went to some high federal court called Prometheus v. Mayo. I feel like this is something from a hilarious story Epimetheus would tell to embarass his big brother.
Sometime I need to talk here about some of the issues we deal with advocacy-wise at Place of Employment Which Still Needs a Code Name. One of them is concern about Myriad Genetics and its patenting of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 cancer predisposition genes. Women who have mutations on these genes have something like an 85% or 95% risk of developing breast cancer, especially at a young age, when it's particularly aggressive, and a 60- or 70-something percent risk of developing ovarian cancer, which is hard to detect until it's very difficult to treat. Anyway, Myriad Genetics has patented these two genes and is the only one who is allowed to offer carrier testing. Shockingly, a full assay of tests costs more than $3,000 (not always covered by insurance), and shockingly, some women can't afford that, and also shockingly, some women want a second opinion.
The ACLU has filed a suit against Myriad. Read this New York Times article and watch this interview with the founder and CEO of Myriad. (Here's an article about the legal standpoints for those law students and lawyers out there.) I admit, I'm biased -- I understand there are arguments for gene patenting and encouraging medical development, but there is something so wrong about forcing anyone to rely on one test and one company to try and decide whether she should have her breasts and ovaries removed to preempt cancer that I have a hard time swallowing arguments from Myriad.
...wow. I guess that "talk about it sometime" was now. There may be more on this in the future, if people are interested?
In totally inconsequential news, I think I still have to figure out how to do the victory rolls without whatever hair product I'm using making my hair look stiff and weird when it's dry. More at 11 or as updates merit.
Sometime I need to talk here about some of the issues we deal with advocacy-wise at Place of Employment Which Still Needs a Code Name. One of them is concern about Myriad Genetics and its patenting of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 cancer predisposition genes. Women who have mutations on these genes have something like an 85% or 95% risk of developing breast cancer, especially at a young age, when it's particularly aggressive, and a 60- or 70-something percent risk of developing ovarian cancer, which is hard to detect until it's very difficult to treat. Anyway, Myriad Genetics has patented these two genes and is the only one who is allowed to offer carrier testing. Shockingly, a full assay of tests costs more than $3,000 (not always covered by insurance), and shockingly, some women can't afford that, and also shockingly, some women want a second opinion.
The ACLU has filed a suit against Myriad. Read this New York Times article and watch this interview with the founder and CEO of Myriad. (Here's an article about the legal standpoints for those law students and lawyers out there.) I admit, I'm biased -- I understand there are arguments for gene patenting and encouraging medical development, but there is something so wrong about forcing anyone to rely on one test and one company to try and decide whether she should have her breasts and ovaries removed to preempt cancer that I have a hard time swallowing arguments from Myriad.
...wow. I guess that "talk about it sometime" was now. There may be more on this in the future, if people are interested?
In totally inconsequential news, I think I still have to figure out how to do the victory rolls without whatever hair product I'm using making my hair look stiff and weird when it's dry. More at 11 or as updates merit.