Rosalind Elsie Franklin worked with X-ray crystallography at King's College London, UK, and she helped determine the helical structure of DNA in the early 1950s. Franklin's research helped establish molecular genetics, a field that investigates how heredity works on the molecular level. The discovery of the structure of DNA also made future research possible into the molecular basis of embryonic development, genetic disorders, and gene manipulation.

In the 2013 legal case Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc., hereafter AMP v. Myriad, the United States Supreme Court held in a unanimous decision that naturally occurring gene sequences are not eligible for patents. Researchers at the biotechnology company Myriad Genetics, hereafter Myriad, identified the precise location and sequence of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in 1994 and 1995, respectively. Certain mutations in those genes increase a person’s risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. In 1998, Myriad was awarded multiple patents for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, including ones related to diagnostic testing. However, in 2009, the Association for Molecular Pathology, a non-profit organization that researchers and develops genetic testing, challenged seven of Myriad’s patents in a case that went to the Supreme Court in 2013. Had the Supreme Court upheld Myriad's patents claims, diagnostic screenings of BRCA1 and BRCA2 and further research into those genes would have been restricted to Myriad alone. AMP v. Myriad ensured that potentially life-saving medical advances related to identifying and sequencing genes, such as cancer screening and the detection of genetic diseases, would not be controlled by one company.