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The Genome Defense - by Jorge L Contreras (Hardcover)

The Genome Defense - by  Jorge L Contreras (Hardcover)
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Last Price: 24.99 USD

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<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>"The gripping true story of a Supreme Court civil rights battle to prevent biotech companies from owning the very thing that makes us who we are-our DNA"--<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><b>In this riveting, behind-the-scenes courtroom drama, a brilliant legal team battles corporate greed and government overreach for our fundamental right to control our genes.</b> <p/> When attorney Chris Hansen learned that the U.S. government was issuing patents for human genes to biotech companies, his first thought was, How can a corporation own what makes us who we are? Then he discovered that women were being charged exorbitant fees to test for hereditary breast and ovarian cancers, tests they desperately needed--all because Myriad Genetics had patented the famous <i>BRCA </i>genes. So he sued them. <p/> Jorge L. Contreras, one of the nation's foremost authorities on human genetics law, has devoted years to investigating the groundbreaking civil rights case known as <i>AMP v. Myriad</i>. In <i>The Genome Defense </i>Contreras gives us the view from inside as Hansen and his team of ACLU lawyers, along with a committed group of activists, scientists, and physicians, take their one-in-a-million case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Contreras interviewed more than a hundred key players involved in all aspects of the case--from judges and policy makers to ethicists and genetic counselors, as well as cancer survivors and those whose lives would be impacted by the decision--expertly weaving together their stories into a fascinating narrative of this pivotal moment in history. <br><i> <br> The Genome Defense</i> is a powerful and compelling story about how society must balance scientific discovery with corporate profits and the rights of all people. <br><p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br>"Ably and affectingly detailed . . . This story stands as a guide to the forces that shape an increasingly important industry--and to the vexed influence of patents." <br> --<b><i>Nature</i></b> <p/> "An unflinching critique of the biotech industry's business practices . . . Contreras never presumes that his readers can't keep up, until suddenly a lay reader can likely understand the fundamentals of patent eligibility. That mix makes the book an incredibly accessible and engaging read, which . . . keeps readers from putting it down." <br> --<b><i>Law360</i></b> <p/> "Eye-opening . . . Contreras brings the large cast of case participants to life with vivid prose, and the exciting final spectacle before the Supreme Court is heart-pumping . . . a thorough page-turner." <br> --<b><i>Publishers Weekly</i>, starred review</b> <p/> "A superb lesson on patents in general and the grotesque American patent system in particular . . . Contreras assembles a large cast of lawyers, judges, activists, scientists, and patients and engagingly describes four years of tortuous legal action that saw victory in federal court, reversal on appeal, and a final triumph in the Supreme Court . . . Fascinating." <br> --<b><i>Kirkus Reviews</i>, starred review</b> <p/> "Jorge L. Contreras, a law professor at the University of Utah, interviewed nearly 100 lawyers, patients, scientists and policymakers in this behind-the-scenes history of Molecular Pathology vs. Myriad Genetics, a long-shot lawsuit that culminated in a landmark 2013 Supreme Court decision that opened the human genome to the benefit of researchers, cancer patients and everyday Americans." <br> --<b><i>The New York Times Book Review</i> ("11 New Works of Nonfiction to Read This Season")</b> <p/> "A gripping and important tale of how corporations were patenting our own genes and selling them back to us. Contreras give us front-row-seat access, deft character sketches and crystal-clear explanations of law and science." <br> --<b>Jordan Fisher Smith, author of <i>Engineering Eden</i></b> <p/> "A remarkable, fast-paced read. Contreras tells the behind-the-scenes story of how the Supreme Court stopped the patenting of the human genome. He does it in such an engaging style that it's almost like reading a legal thriller." <br> --<b>Professor Mark A. Lemley, Director, Stanford Program in Law, Science, and Technology</b> <p/> "Remarkable. Contreras manages to make a book about the lawsuit that ended gene patenting in America read like a thriller. This book will not only inform you and stir your moral outrage, it will keep you on the edge of your seat." <br><b>--Ayelet Waldman, author of <i>A Really Good Day </i></b> <p/> "<i>The Genome Defense</i> provides an incomparable perspective on a landmark Supreme Court case, and it is a testament to the importance of intellectual property law to humanity's prosperity." <br> --<b>Jessica Silbey, author of <i>The Eureka Myth: Creators, Innovators, and Everyday Intellectual Property</i></b> <p/> "Both a page-turner full of colorful characters and a profound commentary about how corporate giants use the law to monopolize knowledge--and what we can do about it." <br><b>--Orly Lobel, author of <i>You Don't Own Me: The Court Battles that Exposed Barbie's Dark Side</i></b> <br><br>

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