CENTER DOCUMENTS

This Week in CGREAL

2007-01-25

Center News * Opportunities * Events * Genetics in the News * Genetics in the Literature * Archive

* The current newsletter can also be viewed at http://www.case.edu/med/bioethics/cgreal/newsletters.htm

Center News

• Please join us Thursday, January 25, 2007, 11:30-1 pm in T-501 for the next Works-in-Progress seminar: Patricia Powers, Postdoctoral Fellow, will present "A Call to Arms or Apocalypse Now?: Medical Research and Enhancing the Warfighter".
  
• The next inter-CEER meeting, which will include a focus on the training programs, will take place in Washington DC on February 21-23, 2007. For more information, email Eric Juengst.
• CGREAL is pleased to announce its 2007 seed grant program. All Case faculty who are interested in developing research projects on issues in ethics, science policy, and law relevant to the design and conduct of human genetic research are eligible. Applications are due March 30, 2007. For more information, email Jennifer Fishman. 
• CGREAL is recruiting trainees for the Post-doctoral program who have demonstrated promise as researchers in interdisciplinary fields that are relevant to genetic research ethics and law. Applications are due April 1, 2007.  For more information, email Jennifer Fishman.

Opportunities

Please contact Eric Juengst if you are submitting an abstract or are interested in a coordinated CGREAL submission. 

Upcoming abstract deadlines :

A more complete listing of funding opportunties and conferences are available here.

Events

Genetics in the News

Hearts, Mending Broken Hearts - National Geographic Magazine "As heart disease reaches epidemic proportions worldwide, researchers are moving away from the old "clogged-pipes" model to search for triggers lurking in our genes. ..."

Bioethics Forum - The Perils of Embryo Banking? "Embryo banking is not an idea whose time has come. But at some point it might be, so a little ethical hyperventilating about the prospect is useful. ..."

Brooklyn Law School Symposium A Cross-Disciplinary Look at Scientific Truth:
What’s the Law to Do? "Since the United States Supreme Court s 1993 decision in Daubert v. Dow Merrill Pharmaceuticals Corp., numerous complex questions have been raised concerning the law s treatment of scientific evidence. ..."

A Peek Inside DARPA"Researchers at the defense agency invented the precursor to the Internet. So, what s next? A fault-tolerant wireless network and the next generation of supercomputers. ..."

Scientists identify gene that may indicate predisposition to schizophrenia "In a new study from The American Journal of Human Genetics, a research team lead by Xinzhi Zhao and Ruqi Tang (Shanghai Jiao Tong University) present evidence that genetic variation may indicate predisposition to schizophrenia. ..."

Research ethics committees in Africa report inadequate funding, staffing and training "Throughout Africa, the number of people participating in health research is on the rise, yet surprisingly little is known about how research ethics committees the critically important, independent review groups charged with protecting human subjects and reviewing protocols actually operate. In a new case study published in the January 2007 issue of PLoS Medicine, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health aim to change that. ..."

The Korea Herald "The Korean government yesterday released a set of new regulations to ban or restrict genetic tests in 20 categories amid ethical concerns over DNA tests. ..."

Genes Linked to Autoimmune Diseases - To Your Health - MSNBC.com "Scientists link 30 genes to multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases. ..."

Crunch time for multiple-gene tests "Sophisticated new genetic tests face an uncertain future unless they can win clear-cut approval from regulators, insurers and, most importantly, doctors. Virginia Gewin reports. ..."

Neuroscience It's all in the timing "Taking hormones to replace those lost during menopause helps many women with their symptoms, yet it may also cause cognitive decline. Could the age at which hormones are taken determine whether they will be beneficial or harmful? Tom Siegfried reports. ..."

Biology's next revolution"The emerging picture of microbes as gene-swapping collectives demands a revision of such concepts as organism, species and evolution itself. ..."

Genome-wide tagging for everyone - Nature Genetics "The recently completed International HapMap Project has provided detailed information about patterns of genetic variation in four different population samples. Two new studies show that the patterns of variation documented in the HapMap can be applied to other human populations, suggesting it is time to establish a standardized platform for all whole-genome association studies. ..."

Neural 'extension cord' developed for brain implants - tech - 19 January 2007 - New Scientist Tech "A "data cable" made from stretched nerve cells could someday help connect computers to the human nervous system. ..."

Showdown Looms in Congress Over Drug Advertising on TV - New York Times "Drug advertising aimed at consumers, a fast-growing category that reached $4.5 billion last year, will face hard scrutiny in the new Congress, according to industry critics in both the House and Senate. ..."

Medical Apartheid - Harriet A. Washington - Review - Books - White Doctors, Black Subjects: Abuse Disguised as Research - New York Times "Ms. Washington, a journalist and research scholar in ethics, writes in Medical Apartheid that this history has left blacks with an ugly legacy of distrust for research and even treatment, and that it is a lingering stain on the history of medicine. ..."

'Can ageing be stopped?' | Prospect Magazine "Gerontologists consider the maximum lifespan for humans to be about 120 years. But with rising evidence for a genetic "death programme," which in principle could be amended, some researchers are starting to believe the limit could be extended ..."

ScienceDaily: New research disclosure language created ".S. medical researchers have developed language designed to help clinical researchers better disclose their financial interests in research. ..."

The Scientist : Hot and Cold Running Genius "Harris' genius, though, is in bioethics, although I find no record that she has ever used the term in her work. ..."

How To Change A Personality -- TIME "Devices like DBS and psychoactive drugs like Ritalin and Prozac are already manipulating brain function in millions of people. And future pharmaceuticals, Farah says, targeting very specific parts of the brain, will be even more effective and will have fewer side effects. These new brain-control tools open a Pandora's box of ethical and philosophical dilemmas, including what kind of society--and what kinds of selves--we want. ..."

Wired News: Hacking the Human Life Span "After three years researching a compound found in red wine called resveratrol, which has been shown to extend life and reduce disease in lab animals, he began taking 50 milligrams a day. ..."

(2007). Guidance on Reviewing and Reporting Unanticipated Problems Involving Risks to Subjects or Others and Adverse Events "TheOHRP posted on its website OHRP’s formal “Guidance on Reviewing and Reporting Unanticipated Problems Involving Risks to Subjects or Others and Adverse Events”. It provides guidance on HHS regulations for the protection of human research subjects at 45 CFR part 46 related to the review and reporting of (a) unanticipated problems involving risks to subjects or others (hereinafter referred to as unanticipated problems); and (b) adverse events. ..."

Genetics in the Literature

Ellison, P. T. (2006). "How old are you now?" Aging Cell 5(6): 581."Cherkas et al. provide a new, biological approach to a classic problem in anthropology--the estimation of age. ..."

Feder, J., O. Ovadia, et al. (2007). "Ashkenazi Jewish mtDNA haplogroup distribution varies among distinct subpopulations: lessons of population substructure in a closed group." Eur J Hum Genet. "Here, we show evidence for significant geographic substructure (P=0.017) of the maternal lineage represented by mitochondrial DNA variation in one of the most commonly studied populations, the Ashkenazi Jews. Most of the substructure effect stems from differential representation of haplogroups K and H. Our results underline the essentiality of adjusting data of population genetic variation for substructure during the design of association studies, even in apparently closed populations. ..."

Gaff, C. L., E. Lynch, et al. (2006). "Predictive testing of eighteen year olds: counseling challenges." J Genet Couns 15(4): 245-51."Genetic counseling of teenagers is challenging and complex. The ability to think abstractly, a sense of self and independence from family all develop during adolescence. Predictive genetic testing counseling protocols presuppose that these qualities exist, requiring the at-risk individual to consider the short and long term consequences of testing as well as their motivations. Eighteen year olds are in transition from adolescence to adulthood; eligible for predictive genetic testing, they may not yet be independent of their family or able to articulate their feelings. This paper presents case studies from the authors' clinical practice to illustrate some of the difficulties faced by genetic counselors when 18 year olds request predictive testing for Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer. By reflecting upon their experiences with these young adults and their families, the authors' intention is to generate discussion about genetic counseling strategies, particularly for predictive genetic testing, that are both age-appropriate and family-sensitive. ..."

Jaddoe, V. W., J. P. Mackenbach, et al. (2006). "The Generation R Study: Design and cohort profile." Eur J Epidemiol 21(6): 475-84."The Generation R Study is a population-based prospective cohort study from fetal life until young adulthood. The study is designed to identify early environmental and genetic causes of normal and abnormal growth, development and health from fetal life until young adulthood. Eventually, results forthcoming from the Generation R Study have to contribute to the development of strategies for optimizing health and healthcare for pregnant women and children. ..."

King, T. E., E. J. Parkin, et al. (2007). "Africans in Yorkshire? The deepest-rooting clade of the Y phylogeny within an English genealogy." Eur J Hum Genet. "Our findings represent the first genetic evidence of Africans among 'indigenous' British, and emphasize the complexity of human migration history as well as the pitfalls of assigning geographical origin from Y-chromosomal haplotypes. ..."

Kinney, A. Y., S. E. Simonsen, et al. (2006). "Risk reduction behaviors and provider communication following genetic counseling and BRCA1 mutation testing in an African American kindred." J Genet Couns 15(4): 293-305. "This prospective observational study examined use of risk reduction strategies following BRCA1 counseling and testing. Our data indicate that patient-provider communication about BRCA1 test results is suboptimal. ..."

Mesoudi, A., A. Whiten, et al. (2006). "Towards a unified science of cultural evolution." Behav Brain Sci 29(4): 329-47; discussion 347-83."We suggest that human culture exhibits key Darwinian evolutionary properties, and argue that the structure of a science of cultural evolution should share fundamental features with the structure of the science of biological evolution. It is argued that studying culture within a unifying evolutionary framework has the potential to integrate a number of separate disciplines within the social sciences. ..."

Redmann, S. M., Jr. and G. Argyropoulos (2006). "AgRP-deficiency could lead to increased lifespan." Biochem Biophys Res Commun 351(4): 860-4. "It is concluded that although AgRP(-/-) mice become morbidly obese consuming a high fat diet (a landmark feature for a shortened lifespan), they seem to overcome obesity- and age-related pathologies and live significantly longer than their metabolically similar wild type littermates. ..."

Singh, J., J. Hallmayer, et al. (2007). "Interacting and paradoxical forces in neuroscience and society." Nat Rev Neurosci 8(2): 153-160. "Discoveries in the field of neuroscience are a natural source of discourse among scientists and have long been disseminated to the public. Historically, as news of findings has travelled between communities, it has elicited both expected and unusual reactions. What scientific landmarks promote discourse within the professional community? Do the same findings achieve a place in the public eye? How does the media choose what is newsworthy, and why does the public react the way it does? Drawing on examples of past challenges at the crossroads of neuroscience and society and on a case study of trends in one neurogenetic disease, autism, we explore the dialectical forces interacting in scientific and public discourse. ..."

Steel, M. and J. Hein (2006). "Reconstructing pedigrees: a combinatorial perspective." J Theor Biol 240(3): 360-7. "A pedigree is a directed graph that displays the relationship between individuals according to their parentage. We derive a combinatorial result that shows how any pedigree-up to individuals who have no extant (present-day) ancestors-can be reconstructed from (sex-labelled) pedigrees that describe the ancestry of single extant individuals and pairs of extant individuals. Furthermore, this reconstruction can be done in polynomial time. We also provide an example to show that the corresponding reconstruction result does not hold for pedigrees that are not sex-labelled. We then show how any pedigree can also be reconstructed from two functions that just describe certain circuits in the pedigree. Finally, we obtain an enumeration result for pedigrees that is relevant to the question of how many segregating sites are needed to reconstruct pedigrees. ..."

Subbiah, M. T. (2007). "Nutrigenetics and nutraceuticals: the next wave riding on personalized medicine." Transl Res 149(2): 55-61. "Developing nutraceuticals to prevent and manage thrombosis risk in women with thrombophilic gene mutations are discussed in the context of the opportunities that exist at the nutrigenetic/pharmacogenetic interphase leading to "personalized nutrition." Further research on individual differences in genetic profiles and nutrient requirements will help establish nutrigenetics as an essential discipline for nutrition and dietetics practice. ..."

Tupasela, A. (2006). "When legal worlds collide: from research to treatment in hereditary cancer prevention." Eur J Cancer Care (Engl) 15(3): 257-66. "This paper critically examines the legal and ethical dilemma in the institutionalization of a prevention and treatment technology on hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) in Finland. . ..."

Xie, B., C. J. Zheng, et al. (2007). "PharmGED: pharmacogenetic effect database." Clin Pharmacol Ther 81(1): 29.

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