Helicos Publishes New BRCA1 Sequencing Method

Posted by Matt Mealiffe, M.D. on Jul 15, 2011 in Blog, BRCA1, BRCA2 | 0 comments

Well this is interesting…for the more technical or legal-oriented folks, I find myself wondering whether this is an end run around Myriad’s patents in the U.S. that make it the sole source of BRCA1/BRCA2 testing.  Importantly, this research method does not seem to involve an amplification step of the DNA – which, I believe, is central to the argument in the current lawsuit that you can patent the testing process because it involves isolation/amplification of the DNA.  Any thoughts?  Is it plausible that Helicos may try to sell a radically cheaper BRCA1/2 test in the U.S.?

Helicos BRCA1 Sequencing Paper

Thompson JF, Reifenberger JG, Giladi E, et al. Single-step capture and sequencing of natural DNA for detection of BRCA1 mutations.  Genome Research 2011; Published electronically online before print – July 15, 2011

Matt Mealiffe, M.D. is a Clinical Cancer Geneticist with dual board certification in Clinical Genetics and Internal Medicine. He received his undergraduate degree at Stanford University, his M.D. at the Yale University School of Medicine, and did his residency and fellowship training at the University of Washington.