Gene patents and licensing: case studies prepared for the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society.

Researchers at the Center for Public Genomics at Duke University analyzed how patenting and licensing affect clinical access to genetic testing in the United States. The research was requested by the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society. Conditions studied were breast and ovarian cancers, colon cancers, Alzheimer disease, cystic fibrosis, hearing loss, hereditary hemochromatosis, long QT syndrome, spinocerebellar ataxia, Tay-Sachs disease, and Canavan disease.