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Cancer is a disease where mutations in the genome of a cell can release the cell from its growth constraint, thereby allowing the cell to proliferate rapidly in comparison to the neighboring cells, giving rise to a fast growing lump of cells called a tumor. The cells in the tumor in turn can acquire many more mutations, making the tumor heterogeneous and often allowing some of its cells to migrate to other tissues to give rise to new tumors. Thus genomic screening of the presence of such critical mutations, particularly in people with family history of cancer, is important to diagnose early susceptibility for possible prevention. However, development of such screening methods, or drugs for therapy, often needs protection from copiers through a legal means called patenting. The question of what is patent eligible and what is not has dogged the biotech/pharma industries and the courts for years. This talk will deal with the issues of how cancer is caused, how it is diagnosed and treated with both old and emerging drugs, and some of the contentious court cases involving the patent eligibility issues of human genes, mutations and products of nature. |