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Genes, Microarrays, and Patents

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Microarrays in Diagnostics and Biomarker Development
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Abstract

Patents may impact microarrays at the level of the technology itself or with regard to the genes being interrogated. The ability of individuals, organizations, or companies to patent naturally occurring or synthetic genes or mutations is a controversial one, and the regulatory environment surrounding gene patenting has been under increasing scrutiny, especially in the past few years, particularly in the USA. Though microarray firms have been notoriously litigious in the past, experts disagree on the impact of gene patenting on manufacturers and users. While some hold that gene patents are an obstacle to the success of arrays as clinical tests and research tools, others believe that the harms of gene patents on arrays have been exaggerated.

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Correspondence to Justin Petrone .

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Petrone, J. (2012). Genes, Microarrays, and Patents. In: Jordan, B. (eds) Microarrays in Diagnostics and Biomarker Development. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28203-4_13

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