By Helena Carley, Kate Sahan, Helen Hanson, Katie Snape, Sarah Westbury, Michael J Parker, & Anneke M Lucassen Current popular discourse surrounding genomics is frequently one of ‘clarity’ and ‘transformation’, concepts projected by the NHS 10 year plan and echoed in the media. Technological advances in genomics over recent years have been impressive: whole genome […]
Category: Genomics
Unravelling the ethics of synthetic DNA
By Adrian Villalba, Anna Smajdor, Iain Brassington and Daniela Cutas In our paper, we outline the ethical landscape surrounding the synthesis of human DNA. Only small genomes such as those of bacteria and yeast have been synthesized so far, but the creation of full human genomes in the lab is plausible. The idea of crafting […]
Practising genomics ethically – is more guidance really the answer?
By Kate Sahan and Kate Lyle. As genomic medicine advances, so too its volume and range of ethical considerations expands. Last month, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics published a report entitled “Towards a gold standard of ethics in genomic healthcare and research: where are we?” The report mapped existing ethics resources in place to support […]