In December 2013, Simoncelli was named by the journal Nature as one of "ten people who mattered this year" for her work in spearheading the development of the ACLU's successful legal challenge to the patenting of human genes.

[5] Simoncelli has spoken, written, and advised on a number of contemporary science policy issues, including personalized medicine,[6] gene patenting,[7][8][9] forensic DNA data banks,[10][11] pesticide testing in humans,[12] and academic freedom.

[13] She is co-author with Sheldon Krimsky of Genetic Justice: DNA Data Banks, Criminal Investigations, and Civil Liberties.

"[16] From 2005 to 2009, Simoncelli, as the American Civil Liberties Union's science advisor, worked with ACLU lawyer Chris Hansen to file a case against Salt Lake City-based Myriad Genetics.

In March 2010, the Southern District Court of New York Judge Robert Sweet ruled in favor of the AMP that all the challenged claims were not patent-eligible.