When I saw Decoding Annie Parker at SIFF, one of the subjects of the film, geneticist Mary-Claire King, was in attendance. Dr. King discovered the BRCA genes and proved that there can be a genetic cause for breast cancer, an idea that had previously been pooh-poohed. At the screening, Dr. King spoke hopefully about the upcoming US Supreme Court case on the patenting of genes. The case was decided this morning, with the court saying that genes may not be patented. If a woman carries the BRCA gene, she has an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer, but genetic screening to discover if you have the gene is expensive. Now that the patent on the BRCA genes has been lifted, more scientists will be able to work on the genes and more laboratories can provide genetic testing—leading to more access for women and lowering the costs.

From the New York Times:

Isolated human genes may not be patented, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday. The case concerned patents held by Myriad Genetics, a Utah company, on genes that correlate with increased risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. The patents were challenged by scientists and doctors who said their research and ability to help patients had been frustrated. The particular genes at issue received public attention after the actress Angelina Jolie revealed in May that she had had a preventive double mastectomy after learning that she had inherited a faulty copy of a gene that put her at high risk for breast cancer.

The price of the test, often more than $3,000, was partly a product of Myriad’s patent, putting it out of reach for some women. The company filed patent infringement suits against others who conducted testing based on the gene. The price of the test "should come down significantly," said Dr. Harry Ostrer, one of the plaintiffs in the case decided Thursday. The ruling, he said, “will have an immediate impact on people’s health.”

Fun Fact: In 1975, Dr. Mary-Claire King informed the world that humans and chimpanzees share 99 percent of their genetic material!

Decoding Annie Parker (which is a drama starring Helen Hunt and Samantha Morton about the discovery of the BRCA genes) is showing again as part of Best of SIFF 2013 on Sunday, June 16, at 2:30 p.m. at SIFF Cinema Uptown.