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. When attorney Chris Hansen learned thatthe U.S. government was issuing patentsfor human genes to biotech companies, hisfirst thought was, How can a corporation ownwhat makes us who we are? Then he discoveredthat women were being charged exorbitantfees to test for hereditary breast and ovariancancers, tests they desperately needed-all becauseMyriad Genetics had patented the famousBRCA genes. So he sued them. 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 AMP v. Myriad. In The Genome Defense 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. The Genome Defense is a powerful and compelling story about how society must balance scientific discovery with corporate profits and the rights of all people.