Bay area researchers and cancer survivors are praising a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could make an important cancer test more accessible to patients.  

Currently, Myriad is the only company that runs a test for the BRCA gene. The company, out of Utah, owns a patent for the gene and the test. Their test determines whether patients are predisposed to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. But Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled no one has the right to own your DNA.

"This ruling means that nothing in nature can be patented," said USF Health Professor Jay Wolfson.

Many in the medical community are hoping the ruling means more companies will offer testing for the hereditary cancer gene at lower costs. The BRCA test currently costs about $4,000.

"I'm happy," said Sue Friedman.

Friedman said she was fortunate. Insurance covered the costs. Others have not been so lucky.

"We began to see many people who didn't have access to the test because of cost," Friedman said.

Friedman launched FORCE, a support group for those with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. The group was at the forefront of the US Supreme Court case.

She said the ruling is good news for patients because it gives them more access to life-saving information.

Information below from the Associated Press:

A primer on the case:

Q: What did the court say?

A: Patents held by Myriad Genetics Inc. on BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are not valid, because isolating a naturally occurring segment of DNA cannot be patented. We all have two copies of these genes; mutations in one of them can give a woman up to an 87 percent risk of developing breast cancer and up to a 54 percent risk for ovarian cancer.

Q: How many people have them?

A: In the U.S., about 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are thought to be due to bad BRCA genes. Among breast cancer patients, BRCA mutations are carried by 5 percent of whites and 12 percent of Eastern European (Ashkenazi) Jews. Rates in other groups aren't as well known, but a recent study suggests they are more common than has been believed in blacks.

Q: How expensive are the Myriad tests?

A: They cost $3,000 to $4,000 and insurers only cover them for women thought to be at high risk because of family history of breast or ovarian cancer or other risk factors. The tests are not recommended for women at average risk.

Q: What about other tests for breast cancer genes?

A: Some other tests look for mutations in 16 other genes less commonly involved in breast cancer but those have not been able to include BRCA1 and BRCA2 because of Myriad's patents. Those other tests cost around $2,600. The court's ruling means these tests likely will be able to include BRCA1 and BRCA2 for no or little additional cost in the future, giving a more complete picture of a woman's risk, Nagy said.

Q: What about other gene tests that can still be patented?

A: The court said tests that involve makingcDNA, or complementary DNA, can still be patented. They take an extra step to isolate only the "working parts" or coding regions of a gene.