首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
考研
Personalized medicine has proved an elusive dream. Biotechnology companies have claimed that by matching a person’s genetic make
Personalized medicine has proved an elusive dream. Biotechnology companies have claimed that by matching a person’s genetic make
admin
2013-01-25
92
问题
Personalized medicine has proved an elusive dream. Biotechnology companies have claimed that by matching a person’s genetic make-up with specialised treatments, they can tailor drugs to maximise benefits and minimise side effects. Alas, researchers have discovered that the link between a given person’s genetic make-up and specific diseases is much more complex than they had hoped. The tantalizing vision remains out of reach.
A rare exception has been the success that Myriad Genetics, an American firm, has had with two genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2. Certain versions of these genes, it has been shown, are associated with a high risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The University of Utah has patented the genes and licenses them to Myriad. The firm uses that exclusivity to create expensive genetic tests for cancer risk which only it offers for sale.
The BRCA patents have long frustrated medical researchers and legal activists. They claim that the firm’s grip on the two genes unlawfully stifles both innovation and basic science. Given the history of patent rulings in America, that has been a fringe argument— until now.
On March 29th a federal district court in New York made a ruling that, taken at face value,
turns
America’s approach to the patent protection of genes
on its head
. A coalition led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had challenged the very basis of Myriad’s patents. The nub of the case was this question; "Are isolated human genes and the comparison of their sequences patentable things?"
Until now, the answer had been "Yes". But Robert Sweet, the presiding judge, disagreed. He ruled: "It is concluded that DNA’s existence in an ’isolated’ form alters neither this fundamental quality of DNA as it exists in the body nor the information it encodes. Therefore, the patents at issues directed to ’isolated DNA’ containing sequences found in nature are unsustainable as a matter of law and are deemed unpatentable subject matter. "
As a rule, patents are not granted for rules of nature or naturally occurring phenomena, but the American patent office has allowed genes to be patented if they are isolated and "purified. " Perhaps no longer, if this decision is upheld. The ACLU gleefully declared that this ruling "marks the first time a court has found patents on genes unlawful and calls into question the validity of patents now held on approximately 2,000 human genes. "
So is this really such a landmark ruling? It is clear that the judge has the history books in mind. His ruling cites Stephen Breyer, a member of America’s Supreme Court, who argued that "sometimes too much patent protection can impede rather than ’promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts,’ the constitutional objective of patent and copyright protection. "
However, the majority of the Supreme Court did not agree with Justice Breyer. Dianne Nicol, a professor of law, observes that "this case turns on whether an isolated gene sequence has markedly different characteristics from a gene that occurs in the human body. The judge in this case has said it does not have different characteristics but it will be interesting to see if the higher courts agree with that. "[520 words]
The phrase "turn sth on its head"( Line 2, Para 4) most probably means "make sb______".
选项
A、think about sth in a different way
B、begin to consider sth seriously
C、feel proud about sth
D、defend sth against disagreements
答案
A
解析
本题考查词义推断。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/qZp4777K
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
Asthetwentiethcenturybegan,theimportanceofformaleducationintheUnitedStatesincreased.Thefrontierhadmostlydisap
BlackdeaththatdroveNewtonfromhiscollegeandintoamomentousdiscovery,(1)_____Englandin1665.Astronomicalrecordsof
BlackdeaththatdroveNewtonfromhiscollegeandintoamomentousdiscovery,(1)_____Englandin1665.Astronomicalrecordsof
BlackdeaththatdroveNewtonfromhiscollegeandintoamomentousdiscovery,(1)_____Englandin1665.Astronomicalrecordsof
BlackdeaththatdroveNewtonfromhiscollegeandintoamomentousdiscovery,(1)_____Englandin1665.Astronomicalrecordsof
MissPage’sattitudetowardBlackFridayisThereasonwhyAmericanscallthedayafterThanksgiving"BlackFriday"isthat
Researchiscommonlydividedinto"applied"and"pure".Thisclassificationisarbitraryandloose,butwhatisusuallymeantis
"Itisanevilinfluenceontheyouthofourcountry."Apoliticiancondemningvideogaming?Actually,aclergymandenouncingro
Studythepicturesabovecarefullyandwriteanessayentitled"HowtobeaHealthymodernPerson".Intheessay,youshould(1)
FromthefirstparagraphweknowthatadsinAmericaarevery______.Accordingtothepassage,the"discipline"valuesandthe
随机试题
气管推向健侧见于
患者,女,32岁,2天前无明显诱因出现尿频、尿急、尿痛,伴腰痛、呕吐、寒战。查体:T39.5℃,两侧肋脊角有压痛,肾区叩击痛,血分析中性粒细胞百分比为85%,尿液浑浊,尿蛋白阳性,镜检白细胞满视野。关于该患者的治疗,下列说法不正确的为()。
以下哪条不符合原发性肺结核的临床特点
下列表述正确的是________。
在用桥梁承载能力检算系数确定时,轴荷载分布影响修正系数确定时,按轴重超过()所占的百分比确定。
注册建造师有( )情况之一的,由原注册管理机构注销注册。
下列关于汇兑的特征的表述中,不符合法律规定的是()。
下列关于日常生活中的做法,不正确的是:
据《中国青年报》报道,2018年中国社会科学院“中国大学生追踪调查(PSCUS)”研究结果近日公布。对全国18所高校在校大学生的调查发现,大学生平均每天玩网络游戏的时间约为2小时,22.95%的大学生基本每天都玩网络游戏。游戏不只是男生的偏好,
WhenLisaWelch,fromJimboomba,Queensland,wasstrugglingwithwhattogifthersonforhisupcoming10thbirthday,shewasbe
最新回复
(
0
)