NeoGenomics Beats Natera Cancer Test Patent Infringement Lawsuit

NeoGenomics Laboratory Inc. won summary judgment against Natera Inc.'s patent infringement lawsuit in the US District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. Chief District Judge Catherine C. Eagles ruled that Natera's patents (US 11,519,035 and 11,530,454) covering cell-free DNA cancer-detection tests are invalid under patent eligibility standards. The court found the patents are directed at natural phenomena and lack inventive concepts, describing only "logical combinations" of "standard, well-known techniques" using off-the-shelf products, applying the Supreme Court's 2014 two-step patent eligibility test.