Medical-Testing Industry Heads to the Supreme Court

The growing medical-testing industry goes before the Supreme Court this week in a patent case that pits the Mayo Clinic against a company trying to protect its diagnostic tests. Companies are patenting more tests that help doctors set drug dosages or determine whether a person can benefit from a particular treatment. Screening tests that identify people's risk factors for disease also are getting patented more frequently.

Wall Street Journal, by Brent Kendall, 12/5/11