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ESPM 162

BIOETHICS AND SOCIETYProf. David Winickoff

Brave New Biology

Jan 22, 2008


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Dolly, I. Wilmut et al.

Cloning

Is it Natural?


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GFP Bunny,Alba, Eduardo Kac

Genetic Engineering

Transgenic Art ? Second Creation?


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Nature, March 14, 1996

Dolly Editorial

. . . the growing power of molecular genetics confronts

us with future prospects of being able to change the

nature of our species . . . this gives rise to issues thatin the end will have to be related to people within the

social and ethical environments in which they live . . .

. And the agenda is set by mankind as a whole, not

by the subset involved in the science.


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Starting Point:

we are in the midst of a period of social, legal,

political, and economic change closely associated

with developments in the life sciences

Yeah, ok, but this statement doesnt begin to get at

the complexity . . . .


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Constructive Process /

Intricate Relationships

Science & Technology

Life Sciences DNA

Genomic Era

Biotechnologies

Health and Medicine

Reproduction ID and Classification

Agriculture

Social Structures

Ethical norms

Legal & Political Rights

Economic relations

Institutions

Customs and Practices

Ideas, ways of thinking


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1. New Tools of Analysis and

Argument

2. Develop knowledge in particularpolicy areas

3. Finding Points of Intervention,

Policy, Action


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Unit I. Human Genome Projects


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First Human Genome Project in America?State Eugenic Sterilization Laws by 1935


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What was the origin of

theHuman Genome Project?


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Origins of the human genome project:

genetic mutations among Hibakusha

Hibakusha

Atomic explosion, Nagasaki


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What was(is) the

Human Genome Project?

1. Vast administrative and financialenterprise;


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2. Immense cooperative research program:

generate a high-quality reference DNAsequence for HGs 3 billion base pairs;

identify all human genes;

sequence the genomes of model organisms tointerpret human DNA;

develop computational resources to supportfuture research and commercial applications;

study human variation.


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3. Intense political campaign

waged by scientists

How can the biologists convince the US

government to fund a giant project like the

physicists got (the Manhattan Project) ?


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The birth of new biological

paradigm:

genomics (n.)The study of the structure and

function of all genes in an organisms

PCR plus power of information technology . . .


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Rhetoric:

Metaphors of DNA


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POPULAR CULTURE: ALL DNA, ALL THE TIME !!!


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The Holy Grail

The Knight of the Holy Grail

Frederick J. Waugh, 1912

Conte del Graal(circa. 1170)

Chrtien de Troyes

Morte d'Arthur(circa. 1480)

Sir Thomas Malory


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The Human Genome Projectand the Problems of DNA

1. Hold on,

are we different or the same?


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discourses of sameness

Announcing

THE Human Genome

DR. COLLINS: I'm happy that today, the only race we are talking about is the

human race. (Applause.) . . . .

DR. VENTER: We have sequenced the genome of three females and two males,who have identified themselves as Hispanic, Asian, Caucasian, or African-

American. We did this sampling not in an exclusionary way, but out of respect

for the diversity that is America, and to help illustrate that the concept of race has

no genetic or scientific basis.


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e pluribus unum? . . . .

Science affirms

American political ethos:


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. . . . versus 2 practices of difference:

GeneticID and classification of the individual

Biomedicine

Sorting genotypes of individuals to achievepersonalized medicine

Law enforcement

ID of individuals, e.g., FBIs CODISdatabase


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http://www.perlegen.com/

Pharmacogenomics


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Biomedicine:

Pharmacogenomics

All pharmacogenetic polymorphisms studied todate differ in frequency among ethnic and racial

groups The marked racial and ethnic diversity. . . . . . .

dictates that race be considered in studies aimedat discovering whether specific genotypes or

phenotypes are associated with disease risk ordrug toxicity.

WE Evans and MV Relling, Science, 286:487-91, 15 Oct 1999


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The New Racial Pharmacy?

FDA Paves The Way for First Ethnic Drug

BiDil, a heart failure product, reduced mortality in

66% of African Americans, but proved of very little

benefit to whites.

-- Michael Loberg, CEO of NitroMed

Financial Times , 9 March 2001


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2. DNA as a

the new historical document?


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3. The Politics of

Genetically Modified Food

2. Frankenfood

Better crops New monsters, new risks

Progress in S & T Self interest of Multinationals

Rational science / irrational public Co-optation of science / local values

1. Golden RiceVS.

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