Jonathan Stempel writes:

"The nation's highest court in a brief order agreed to review a case over whether Myriad Genetics Inc may patent two genes linked to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.

"In a 2-1 ruling on August 16, a panel of the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., upheld the biotechnology company's right to patent 'isolated' genes that account for most inherited forms of the two cancers.

"That ruling also denied Myriad's effort to patent methods of 'comparing' or 'analyzing' DNA sequences."

SOURCE

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/30/us-usa-court-genes-idUSBRE8AT19620121130