2012年考研英语二阅读 Text 3 原文翻译及答案解析

In 2010, a federal judge shook America's biotech industry to its core. Companies had won patents for isolated DNA for decades — by 2005 some 20% of human genes were patented. But in March 2010 a judge ruled that genes were unpatentable. Executives were violently agitated. The Biotechnology Industry Organisation (BIO), a trade group, assured members that this was just a "preliminary step" in a longer battle.

2010年，一名联邦法官彻底动摇了美国生物技术产业。几十年来，公司们一直为分离的DNA获得专利——到2005年，约20%的人类基因被授予专利。但在2010年3月，一名法官裁定基因不可专利。高管们非常不安。生物技术工业组织（BIO），一个贸易团体，向成员保证这只是长期斗争中的一个"初步步骤"。

On July 29th they were relieved, at least temporarily. A federal appeals court overturned the prior decision, ruling that Myriad Genetics could indeed hold patents to two genes that help forecast a woman's risk of breast cancer. The chief executive of Myriad, a company in Utah, said the ruling was a blessing to firms and patients alike.

7月29日，他们至少暂时松了一口气。联邦上诉法院推翻了之前的裁决，裁定Myriad Genetics确实可以持有两个帮助预测女性乳腺癌风险的基因的专利。Myriad的首席执行官，这家位于犹他州的公司，表示该裁决对公司和患者都是福音。

But as companies continue their attempts at personalised medicine, the courts will remain rather busy. The Myriad case itself is probably not over. Critics make three main arguments against gene patents: a gene is a product of nature, so it may not be patented; gene patents suppress innovation rather than reward it; and patents' monopolies restrict access to genetic tests such as Myriad's. A growing number seem to agree. Last year a federal task-force urged reform for patents related to genetic tests. In October the Department of Justice filed a brief in the Myriad case, arguing that an isolated DNA molecule "is no less a product of nature … than are cotton fibres that have been separated from cotton seeds."

但随着公司继续尝试个性化医疗，法院将保持相当忙碌。Myriad案本身可能尚未结束。批评者对基因专利提出三个主要论点：基因是自然产物，因此不可专利；基因专利抑制创新而非奖励创新；专利的垄断限制了像Myriad这样的基因检测的可用性。越来越多的人似乎同意。去年，一个联邦工作组敦促改革与基因检测相关的专利。10月，司法部在Myriad案中提交了一份简报，认为一个分离的DNA分子"与从棉籽中分离出的棉纤维一样，同样是自然产物。"

Despite the appeals court's decision, big questions remain unanswered. For example, it is unclear whether the sequencing of a whole genome violates the patents of individual genes within it. The case may yet reach the Supreme Court.

尽管上诉法院做出了裁决，但重大问题仍未得到解答。例如，尚不清楚整个基因组的测序是否违反了其中单个基因的专利。该案可能仍会提交到最高法院。

As the industry advances, however, other suits may have an even greater impact. Companies are unlikely to file many more patents for human DNA molecules — most are already patented or in the public domain. Firms are now studying how genes interact, looking for correlations that might be used to determine the causes of disease or predict a drug's efficacy. Companies are eager to win patents for "connecting the dots," explains Hans Sauer, a lawyer for the BIO.

然而，随着产业的发展，其他诉讼可能产生更大的影响。公司不太可能为人类DNA分子申请更多专利——大部分已被专利或属于公共领域。公司现在正在研究基因如何相互作用，寻找可能用于确定疾病原因或预测药物疗效的相关性。公司渴望为"连接点"赢得专利，BIO的律师Hans Sauer解释道。

Their success may be determined by a suit related to this issue, brought by the Mayo Clinic, which the Supreme Court will hear in its next term. The BIO recently held a convention which included sessions to coach lawyers on the shifting landscape for patents. Each meeting was packed.

他们的成功可能由一项与此问题相关的诉讼决定，该诉讼由Mayo Clinic提起，最高法院将在下一任期审理。BIO最近举办了一次大会，其中包括会议来指导律师应对专利领域的变化形势。每次会议都座无虚席。

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