Lecture 20 Flashcards
What is Myriad?
A genetic research company
What are the genes that Myriad patent?
Two genes of breast and/or ovarian cancer, BRCA.
What can happen due to the genes being patent?
They have hold an control of diagnostic testing that could identify the mutations
Why couldn’t the genes be patent?
Because they were natural products of nature, not created. If they created something then they could patent. Thus, Myriad invented nothing.
What was Myriad given credit for?
The discovery of the genes but not that they did anything with it. They were given credit for isolating the genes.
Why was the discovery of the genes controversial? Why was the patent problematic?
It was problematic because it hindered future research since they wanted to keep the genes
What happened to research when the genes were patent?
Many labs were shut down
What did the marketing of Myriad do?
Their marketing was done in a way that pushed/frightened people into thinking they needed on the test. Thus, they made a lot of money.
What happened to companies because of Myriad?
Companies were halted from making more cost efficient alternatives because of Myriad.
What happened to insurance companies because of Myriad?
They had to be selective on who needed it and who they were approving and really if they wanted to cover the costs. Thus, not a lot of people got the help needed.
What were some arguments against the patent?
It was believed that if the patent doesn’t happen, then nobody is going to research it.
What were some consequences of the patent genes?
If everyone patents genes then research can become very expensive and never reach the public
How was cancer being researched in the documentary?
They were tracing the cancer back to the DNA, especially if cancer is generational. They were looking back at the genome.
What was the genome called that had cancer?
Spelling errors or markers that had differences.
How did the markers function?
They blacked out areas that were not involved in cancer. The area that was not highlighted, was the area responsible for cancer
Why did the mormons have records of their death certificates?
They had the belief that when they die, they will be linked to their families in heaven
Who was Mary Claire King? What were her contributions to breast cancer?
She was the first person to prove that breast cancer was heritable through the BRCA1.
What happened because of the discovery of BRCA1 gene?
It fueled for studies, prevention strategies, and find treatment for breast cancer. It also paved the way to find BRCA2
What chromosome is BRCA1 on?
chromosome 17 and is autosomal dominant
What did Mary King’s findings mean for genes and the discovery of them?
It sparked the interest for people to patent genes.
What did Mark Skolnick do after the discovery of the BRCA1 gene?
He created Myriad to find the breast cancer gene(BRCA2)
What was the relationship between Mark Skolnick and Mary Claire King?
They both collaborated in finding the breast cancer gene but in the end, independently found it in their own way
Who started Myriad?
Mark Skolnick
