• Published:October 10th, 2008
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• Category:Uncategorized

Team member Dr Sowmiya Moorthie attended the annual conference of the Genetic Interest Group (GIG) earlier this week, on the theme of Choices and Challenges of Reproductive Health. Presentations included an account of new genomic technologies for prenatal diagnosis, ethical challenges they pose, and different perspectives on reproductive choice related to genetic diseases. PHG Foundation Programme Director Dr Hilary Burton gave the keynote presentation, discussing the opportunities and barriers offered by genetics for both reproductive health in particular, and mainstream medicine more generally.

Discussion apparently ranged from addressing practical issues such as how best to help people to make challenging choices or to increase awareness of genetics in health care, to philosophical questions on what it is to be human (something your average scientist or policy-maker hasn’t always considered in great detail, I would say).

Dr Moorthie, who is one of the more recent additions to the PHG Foundation staff, was struck by the requirements for getting promising biomedical innovations into practice in the health service, ranging from demonstration that the new technology is actually beneficial, to consideration of how to regulate it and to address issues it may raise with respect to societal and individual moral and ethical beliefs.

Overall, she reported that it had been a “very enlightening day, and a great way to meet lots of people from a wide range of societies and learn about inherited disorders I hadn’t known about before, how people are affected by them and how biomedical research can be of benefit to them”. Unfortunately, she also had a bad experience with a meat-based sandwich masquerading as vegetarian; but - as with engaging with ethical and social issues relating to genetics and health - we sometimes just have to step outside our comfort zones.