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British Woman Celebrates A Year Of Living Cancer-Free
It"s been a year since fashion designer Joanne Scott went through a cancer treatment that changed her life -- and made history to boot. Ms. Scott, 54, was the first person in the world to receive an injection of tumor-activated natural killer (TaNK) cells as a treatment for leukemia.

Lawsuit Filed Over Gene Patent
A group of cancer patients, genetic researchers and professional pathologist organizations has filed a lawsuit against Myriad Genetics and the U.S. Patent Office over the patent of two genes associated with an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers, the New York Times reports. According to the Times, the government more than 10 years ago granted Myriad the patent on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, as well as the company"s genetic test that measures a patient"s risk for the cancers.The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and is believed to be the first of its kind, the Times reports. The lawsuit challenges the decision to grant patents on genes to Myriad and companies like it. The plaintiffs say that patents on genes restrict medical and research efforts, while companies like Myriad have said that the patent system supports innovation by giving them a temporary monopoly after they make a discovery, thereby rewarding prior investment in research and development.Wendy Chung, the director of clinical genetics at Columbia University and a plaintiff in the case, said, "With a sole provider, there"s mediocrity." The plaintiffs say that BRCA testing would improve with market competition. Furthermore, some plaintiffs argue that certain natural materials cannot be patented. Jan Nowak, president of the Association for Molecular Pathology and a plaintiff in the case, said, "You can"t patent my DNA, any more than you can patent my right arm, or patent my blood."To date, two government panels, including the National Research Council, found no evidence that gene patents result in significant impediments to research or medical care (Schwartz, New York Times, 5/13).
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Veterinary Students Face Financial And Mental Health Pressures
A comprehensive survey of veterinary students concludes that one in three find themselves in difficult or severe financial situations, more than half have suffered from stress, over a fifth from depression, over a quarter from anxiety and one in every 14 from an eating disorder.
Medical Devices

New Poll Suggests Slim Majority Favors Obama Plan

A new poll conducted by CNN and the Opinion Research Corporation released Wednesday says that 51 percent of people favor the president"s health reform plan while 45 percent oppose it, CNN reports. The survey, which contacted 1,026 adults by telephone, "indicates that most people worry that their health care costs would go up if the administration"s proposals passed and only one in five thinks that his or her families would be better off under the Obama plan. ò€¦ "Women and younger Americans are slightly more likely to support Obama"s approach to health care," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Those are usually the groups that are more concerned about health care and health insurance."" The poll also found that 55 percent think the "health care system is in need of a great deal of reform," while 40 percent say only some reform is needed. About half also trust Obama more than Republicans to handle the overhaul while 38 percent trust Republicans more than Obama. ""Two-thirds believe that the president"s plan would allow them to see the same doctors they currently receive care from, and most say that their health insurance provider would not go out of business if Obama"s plan is passed," Holland said." "The poll does provide some ammunition for Republicans opposed to the president"s proposals, however. Fifty-four percent of those surveyed say their medical insurance costs would increase if the Obama plan became law, with 17 percent saying their costs would decrease" (Steinhauser, 7/1). This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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