Delhi HC says no to patent on Hirotsu's nematode cancer test
The Delhi High Court has turned down Hirotsu Bio Science's appeal to patent its cancer detection method that uses tiny worms (nematodes) to spot early signs of the disease.
The court said this counts as a diagnostic process, which Indian law doesn't allow patents for.
Justice Tejas Karia made the call on January 17.
What's this worm-based tech about?
Hirotsu's invention uses how nematodes react to samples like urine or tissue to flag possible cancer risk—kind of like a biological early warning system.
The company argued it was just for lab screening, not an official diagnosis, but the court wasn't convinced.
Why does this matter?
Access to diagnostic methods matters.
This ruling keeps diagnostic methods open for everyone instead of letting one company lock them up with patents.
The ruling clarifies that diagnostic methods are not patentable under Indian law.