Battle Against Breast Cancer Goes Open Source

After a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision shielded Myriad Genetics' genetic data on breast cancer from disclosure, the nonprofit coalition Free the Data! launched a campaign to open troves of molecular information about widespread tumors with the help of big data software outfit Syapse.

The coalition plans to begin with offering researchers and medical professionals access to data on BRCA1 and BRCA1 mutations associated with breast cancer. The high court ruled in June that companies such as Myriad ($MYGN) could not patent genes. However, as GigaOM reported, Myriad is entitled to hide its information on genes from external medical researchers and others.