# Myriad Genetics - Human Gene Patents



## Steerpike (Jun 13, 2013)

I heard the story on NPR this morning, and they reported it as if the Supreme Court had simply ruled human genes weren't patentable and that was that. It sounded like a blow to Myriad.

I read the actual opinion, and there's a lot more to it than that. The Supreme Court said naturally-occurring genes aren't patentable, even in isolated form. They also explicitly said that cDNAs were patentable, and noted that the decision doesn't address new applications of knowledge about humans genes, or patentability of natural genes were the order of nucleotides has been changed. They also left open methods of use (i.e. if I isolate a human gene and develop a diagnostic method to it, I can patent that method and still have a "monopoly" on the diagnostic method).

While news reports first cast it as a lose for Myriad, I'm not surprised to see that their stock went up after the ruling. The decision leaves a lot of room open for Myriad and others to make money off patents related to human genes in one way or another.

I don't know about you guys, but I could see some very interesting stories related to all of this. They'd be science fiction, I suppose, though I bet you could make metaphors for it in a fantasy setting.


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## Scribble (Jun 13, 2013)

I just thought of an oddball short story idea where through loopholes in the FDA kept open by homeopathic drugs, soda companies are able to introduce gene therapies into soft drinks to enhance various human aspects. Different sodas gave you different therapies. Some were cosmetic and would change your eye, skin or hair color. Purple, green, and day-glo skin became fashionable. Further therapies modified intelligence, memory capacity, musculature, vision, and so on.

While these were deemed "safe" by the FDA because the amount contained in each soda was negligible, people started downing massive amounts of the stuff to achieve the desirable effects, leading to strange health side effects.

More hardcore users were "distilling the extract", obtaining from large quantities of soda to create "shots" containing large quantities of gene therapy. This was sometimes lethal, but resulted in dangerous and bizarre mutations.

There are a few interesting angles here: mutant apocalypse, evil soda corporations, social decay...


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## Steerpike (Jun 13, 2013)

That sounds like a pretty cool idea, Scribble. How about competing food and drink companies each offering different traits?


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## Scribble (Jun 13, 2013)

Pringles to cure your shingles? Twinkes to grow longer pinkies? 

For a short story, I think limiting it to Big Pharma working with Big Soda would keep things simple. What about Mix Masters figuring out that if you blend Dr. Pepper, New New Coke, and Orange Crush, heat it up, and then distill it you develop the ability to blow things up with your mind.

LOL.

I like the obvious irony of using the sugar sewage of soda to deliver these toxic cocktails.


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## Steerpike (Jun 13, 2013)

Heh. I like it.

You could do one about companies marketing food to pregnant women to influence the genetic traits of the unborn child. Or put the gene therapies in baby formula so that the child starts taking them in as early as possible


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## Weaver (Jun 13, 2013)

Scribble said:


> I just thought of an oddball short story idea where through loopholes in the FDA kept open by homeopathic drugs, soda companies are able to introduce gene therapies into soft drinks to enhance various human aspects. Different sodas gave you different therapies. Some were cosmetic and would change your eye, skin or hair color. Purple, green, and day-glo skin became fashionable. Further therapies modified intelligence, memory capacity, musculature, vision, and so on.
> 
> While these were deemed "safe" by the FDA because the amount contained in each soda was negligible, people started downing massive amounts of the stuff to achieve the desirable effects, leading to strange health side effects.
> 
> ...




Why not?  People have been talking (or writing) about the idea of adding stuff into drinks to make us _smarter_ for years.  No doubt stuff to make us better looking would have a greater appeal to the majority of potential buyers.

And just so you know... If it's gene therapy instead of some other method of causing the changes, there would be unpleasant side effects.  The body _does not _like being forced to reconfigure on such a level, and feeling like you've got the flu (even if it wasn't a flu virus shell packed with new DNA that was in your drink -- and oh, how close this is to things I've already written, so please be nice and don't spike the coffee, okay?   ) would be a rather mild thing compared to what _could_ happen.

(Let's hear it for the writers, past and present and future, who don't accept that there's a wall between fantasy and sci-fi!)

Go for it, Scribble.  Write that story.  And share it with us.  I, for one, would gladly read it, and give feedback if that is wanted.


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## Weaver (Jun 13, 2013)

Scribble said:


> For a short story, I think limiting it to Big Pharma working with Big Soda would keep things simple. What about Mix Masters figuring out that if you blend Dr. Pepper, New New Coke, and Orange Crush, heat it up, and then distill it you develop the ability to blow things up with your mind.



Oh, is _that_ how it happens?  I never knew...   OTOH, Orange Crush alone will only give you really boring powers like telepathy and precognition, and only if it is taken in large quantities before the age of 5.


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## Scribble (Jun 13, 2013)

Weaver said:


> Go for it, Scribble.  Write that story.  And share it with us.  I, for one, would gladly read it, and give feedback if that is wanted.




Oh my, I really do make a lot of work for myself this way.  I'll turn my noodle on it.


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## Reaver (Jun 19, 2013)

Check out "Next" by Michael Crichton.  It hits on a myriad (no pun intended) of topics related to genetics.  

In the intro Crichton writes: "This novel is fiction, except for the parts that aren't."


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