In the late 1990s, the process of isolating genes from the chromosomes in which they reside was considered sufficiently complex to merit patent protection. That’s when a company called Myriad Genetics won patents for its research on two human genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, mutations of which have strong correlations to breast and ovarian cancer. Myriad has held a monopoly on diagnostic testing related to these genes, charging more than $3,000 per test. In 2009, the American Civil Liberties Union and other opponents s…