Disclaimer: I am not a biologist or a medical doctor.
In 1947, Mandel
and Métais discovered that cell-free nucleic acids could be found not
locked away in chromosomes but circulating in the bloodstream. The reference is
the following:
Mandel P. and Métais P.,: Les acides
nucléiques du plasma sanguin chez l'homme.C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris
142, 241-243 (1948).
A web search yielded many academic
papers, including the following:
The following article discusses
the nature and size of DNA fragments to be found in circulating cell-free
DNA:
Size
Distributions of Maternal and Fetal DNA in Maternal Plasma (K.C. Allen
Chan et al., Clinical Chemistry)
(The above paper includes Y.M. Dennis
Lo amongst its authors. Dennis Lo is cited by the Petitioners in AMP v.
Myriad in footnote 2 on page 10 in their brief.)
The references to
the papers listed above cite an extensive scientific literature that appears to
justify and document Mr. Hansen's penultimate remark in the closing minutes
(page 64) of the oral argument in AMP et al. v. Myriad: “And I
would like to make one other point with respect to Dr. Lander's brief. On page
16 of Dr. Lander's brief he discusses specifically that the BRCA genes appear in
the body with covalent bonds in fragments. There isn't any real—there
isn't any scientific dispute about that fact.” [ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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