US Federal Court ruled at the end of March to end Myriad's patent of breast cancer susceptibility genes, known as BRCA1 and BRCA2.  Myriad, of course, is planning to fight in Appeals Court, and vows to take the case to the Supreme Court, if needed.  Myriad shares are trading lower following the ruling.

Mary Claire-King, discoverer of the BRCA gene, applauded the decision. 

WSJ covered a Federal Court decision today that would appear to invalidate seven of Myriad Genetics' 23 patents on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.

Here's something I heard yesterday: a patient said her doctor told her that BRCA2 is more associated with breast cancer and BRCA1 more associated with ovarian cancer. I tried not to laugh (not at the patient's ignorance which is understandable but the doctor's ignorance which is troublesome). Both genes code for DNA mismatch repair machinery so there shouldn't be too much difference between their phenotype. Certain cancers like breast and ovarian cancer seem to be highly dependent on errors of DNA replication so arise when the mismatch repair machinery breaks down.