Late in May, the direct-to-consumer gene-testing company 23andMe proudly announced the impending award of its first patent. The firm's research on Parkinson's disease, which used data from several thousand customers, had led to a patent on gene sequences that contribute to risk for the disease and might be used to predict its course. Anne Wojcicki, co-founder of the company, which is based in Mountain View, California, wrote in a blog post that the patent would help to move the work "from the realm of academic publishing to the world of impacting lives by preventing, treating or curing disease".
展开▼
