Researchers hailed the Supreme Court ruling Wednesday that bans
the patenting of human DNA, saying it would expand access to
genetic testing for disease at lower cost to patients.  In a
unanimous decision, the justices said Myriad Genetics did not
have exclusive rights to the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes that are
linked to significantly greater risk for breast cancer and thus
should not be the only company allowed to test for it.  "Myriad
did not create anything," Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for his
fellow justices. "To be sure, it found an important and useful
gene, but separating that gene from its surrounding genetic
material is not an act of invention."  The ruling could have
broad implications as scientists continue to work on identifying
gene sequences as a way of providing "personalized" medicine —
developing tests that predict who is at greater risk of
contracting illnesses and enabling patients to take preventive
measures to head off the disease.  Myriad was sued by the
American Civil Liberties Union on