which we ll talk about in a moment. this ruling is very important because as the court laid out genes are the basis of our hereditary traits. each gene is encoded as dna which takes the shape of the familiar double helex. in the 1990s a company did something groundbreaking and powerful and kind of terrifying all at once. it found the exact location and sequence of brca1 and brca2 genes. finding the exact location is important because it determines the makeup or composition and made it possible to find mutations such as the ones that increase the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. myriad developed tests to detect those mutations. no one was challenging the exclusive rights to the tests it s developed but since the 1990s myriad had a patent on the actual genes themselves and the mutations of those genes and when other companies create their own tests to compete with myriad s, they were slapped with patent infringement suits.
it s developed but since the 1990s me19 1990s myriad had a patent on those. when companies create tests to compete with myriad s, they were slapped with patent infringement suits. for decades the u.s. patent office has been granting similar patents. today the supreme court set that aside and said no more. joining me now is congresswoman debbie wasserman-schultz, democrat of florida. congresswoman schultz knows firstha firsthand. congresswoman, you ve been on this case. what s your reaction to the court s decision today? you know, when i got the news about the 9-0 decision, i was in an appropriations markup and it was pretty hard for me to hold you know, i am someone who had to go and make a life altering decision. i went through a year of seven surgeries based on the results of one test that when i asked how reliable it was was assured
when companies create tests to compete with myriad s, they were slapped with patent infringement suits. for decades the u.s. patent office has been granting similar patents. today the supreme court set that aside and said no more. joining me now is congresswoman debbie wasserman-schultz, democrat of florida. congresswoman schultz knows firsthand. congresswoman, you ve been on this case. what s your reaction to the court s decision today? you know, when i got the news about the 9-0 decision, i was in an appropriations markup and it was pretty hard for me to hold it together, chris. you know, i am someone who had to go and make a life altering decision. i went through a year of seven surgeries based on the results of one test that when i asked how reliable it was was assured it was 100%.