“If ever there is a justifiable use of DNA, it is the protection of victims of human rights violations and human trafficking,” says Sara Katsanis. “DNA will not be useful for many types of human trafficking, but if it can be used to identify just a small percentage of victims, then we have made progress in the fight against modern slavery.”
Nita Farahany discusses the ethics of knowing your genetic information and the decision making process that leads women such as Angelina Jolie to a life-transforming double mastectomy.
Last month, GSP certificate students presented findings on noninvasive prenatal testing at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Washington D.C. “Our professors wanted us to have a feel for what it’s like to research technology while it’s happening, while decisions are being made about whether it’s accurate and reliable,” said Biqi Zhang, one of the students in the class.
In the face of rising global competition and increased funding for science, mathematics, engineering and technology, researchers across the spectrum need to develop interdisciplinary collaborations to tackle pressing societal challenges, a conglomerate of scientists declares in a new report. Nancy Andrews. dean of the Duke University School of Medicine, comments.
Huntington Willard, the first director of the campus-wide Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy (IGSP), has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Membership in the NAS is one of the highest honors given to a scientist in the United States. Willard will be inducted into the Academy next April during its 151st annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
© 2004-2013, Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy. Duke University | Duke Medicine | Interdisciplinary Studies at Duke