Bio 37 - Ethical Issues in Genetics PDF

Aim: What are bioethics and how do they apply to human genetics? Do Now: Pair/Share: Can you think of something that holds a patent? Why does it? Should it? Success Criteria: I can understand how genetic studies and practices include ethical, legal and social issues Pair/Share: What does it mean...

Aim: What are bioethics and how do they apply to human genetics? Do Now: Pair/Share: Can you think of something that holds a patent? Why does it? Should it? Success Criteria: I can understand how genetic studies and practices include ethical, legal and social issues Pair/Share: What does it mean to be ethical? Ethics: examine the rational justification for our moral judgments; it studies what is morally right or wrong, just or unjust Pair/Share: Can something be ethical and illegal? Can you think of an example? Pair/Share Can something be legal and unethical? Can you give an example? Bioethics: A field that addresses personal issues that arise in applying medical technology and genetic information. NBAC (1995-2001) “the protection of the rights and welfare of human research subjects.” “issues in the management and use of genetics information, including but not limited to, human gene patenting.” What’s a patent? Why do we have them? Patent: an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides, in general, a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem. Is it ethical to patent genes? In your groups, examine your source. Develop a pro and a con argument using your source as evidence. Choose someone in your group to present your findings to the class. Be sure to provide your: Claim Evidence Reasoning Source #1 Source #2: Source #3 Source #4 Source #5 Source #6 Aim: What are some of the ethical dilemmas in genetic advancement? Do Now: Spend 10 minutes organizing and finalizing your presentations on: Is it ethical to patent genes? Summary: I can understand how genetic studies and practices include ethical, legal and social issues How can genetic studies and practices include ethical, legal and social issues? Give an example Pair/Share: Should we use gene editing technology to edit humans? Why or why not? (use evidence here not just it’s “Icky”) How does CRISPR edit genes? Aim: To what extent should we edit human embryos? Do Now: Pair/Share: Imagine, the year 2049, you have a 16 year old child. You had the opportunity to edit their genes at conception, but chose not to. Your child unfortunately now because of an GATA2 gene mutation, has leukemia. They have been in and out of the hospital and will likely have to repeat most of their junior year. Their best friend parents chose to edit the genes of their child and currently they are captain of the lacrosse team with a 95 average and scouts are watching their next game for potential scholarships to an ivy league school. What do you tell your child when they ask why you didn’t choose better genes for them? Success Criteria: I can understand how genetic studies and practices include ethical, legal and social issues What are implications if people don’t age? Real estate? Investments? Employment? So should we use CRISPR technology to edit human embryos? Why or why not? https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/30/health/gene-edited-babies-he-jiankui-intl/index.ht ml Article Analysis In your groups you will analyze two sections of commentary from He’s published paper. To what extent should we use CRISPR technology to edit human embryos? Aim: How can DNA be used in forensic analysis? Do Now: 10 minutes to finish presentation slides from yesterday. Upcoming Dates: 5/23-5/25 Final Debate Presentations (15%) 5/30 and 5/31 Final Exam (two parts) (20%) Pair/Share: 1988: “The defense attorney, Hal Uhrig, argued that the tests were unreliable and that there were not enough checks and balances to prevent shoddy lab work. He said he said would appeal the verdict on that basis.” Would this statement hold up today in court? Why or why not? Success Criteria: I can learn how DNA profiling is utilized in forensics and disasters Two common types of repeat polymorphisms are STRs (short tandem repeats) and VNTRs (variable number of tandem repeats). In each type, different numbers of repeats create alleles that differ in size FBI uses 13 STRs in DNA profiles. Recently updated to 20. The chance that two people have all the same 26 STRs is 1 in 250 trillion Can you think of an ethical issues with how genetic information is stored in CODIS? Gel Electrophoresis: uses electric charge to move fragments of DNA down an agarose gel Restriction Enzymes: used to cut DNA at very specific markers Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR): amplifies a specific region of DNA with a particular promoter VNTR on chromosome 1 called D1S80 (or pMCT118), which has a repeat unit of 16 base pairs (bp). Most individuals have between 14 and 40 copies of the repeat on each copy of chromosome 1. Sample size of peak 1 VNTR size of peak 2 VNTR 1 496 22 2 410 16 499 22 3 427 17 499 22 4 502 22 624 30 5 504 22 596 28 6 506 22 599 28 7 509 23 8 512 23 9 597 28 10 514 23 583 27 11 423 17 486 21 12 518 23 611 29 13 407 16 525 24 14 496 22 526 24 15 407 16 588 27 16 407 16 510 23 17 408 16 578 27 Aim: To what extent should we maintain DNA privacy? Do Now: Think back to the second day of class: Do Now: Pair/Share: Would you pay for a genetic analysis like ancestry.com or 23andme? Why or why not? Did your answer change with any of the information we have learned? Success Criteria: I can discuss challenges to genetic privacy. Joseph James DeAngelo sentenced to 11 consecutive life terms 2020 2018: New field: Forensic Genetic Genealogy Has been used to solve 545 cases since 2018 Murders but also many Jane/John Doe cases Sarah Yarborough Patrick Nicholas April 2023: Yarborough Murder Trial “Defense Attorney David Montes said, “They used technology that is not only unproven but just wacky.” Does this quote still hold up? How is FGG different from Crime Scene DNA Analysis? FGG examines more than half a million single nucleotide polymorphisms (‘SNPs’), which replace the STR DNA markers analyzed in traditional forensic DNA typing. These SNPs span the entirety of the human genome. This allows scientists to identify shared blocks of DNA between a forensic sample and the sample donor’s potential relatives. Recombination or reshuffling of the genome is expected as DNA from each generation is passed down, resulting in larger shared blocks of identical DNA between closer relatives and shorter blocks between more distant relatives How is FGG different from Crime Scene DNA Analysis? A suspect shall not be arrested based solely on a genetic association generated by a GG service. If a suspect is identified after a genetic association has occurred, STR DNA typing must be performed, and the suspect’s STR DNA profile must be directly compared to the forensic profile previously uploaded to CODIS. This comparison is necessary to confirm that the forensic sample could have originated from the suspect. Aim: How is DNA profiling used in disasters? Pair/Share: Should Law Enforcement have the right to enter DNA samples from crime scenes into databases like GEDBank/23andMe? Pros Cons Success Criteria: I can learn how DNA profiling is utilized in forensics and disasters https://abc7ny.com/remains-september-11-911-terror-attacks/5529675/ New DNA test developed by NIST to help determine the identity of remains miniSTR - uses shorter versions of the 13-20 STRs that are used in forensic analysis which allows samples that are more degraded to be accurately tested Used in conjunction with mtDNA testing and SNP testing Pair/Share: Assuming we don’t have any DNA samples from the Romanovs to test, what other methods could we use to find if their remains are actually them? Missing Tsarina? From 1920 until her death in 1984, Anna Anderson claimed to be the Tsarina Anastasia A sample of her intestine from a 1979 surgery was tested for mtDNA and it was later determined she was in fact, Franziska Schanzkowska a Polish factory worker MtDNA, Y Chromosome and autosomal STR typing analyses were performed on these remains in two independent laboratories (Coble et al. 2009). Some of the remains of the 1991 grave were also reanalysed. The reanalysis of the Tsarina and three of her daughters found in the original grave yielded identical mtDNA profiles to the ones of the two children found, and the analysis of the autosomal STR profiles confirmed that the Tsar and the Tsarina were indeed the parents of the five children. Furthermore, the Y chromosomes of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarevich Alexei were compared and showed an exact match of 17 Y-STRs between them and also with a distant-related cousin (Andrew Romanov). https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2014/dec/18/tsunami-10-years-banda-ac eh-video But what if bodies are not well preserved in permafrost? 2004 Tsunami - Effects Thailand, Indonesia and Southeast Asia Over 200,000 people died Bodies decomposed rapidly because of heat and humidity STR testing was only 51% successful in teeth mtDNA testing of teeth was more successful Bone samples provided higher quality DNA Using STR combined with mtDNA we have improved DNA forensic analysis of unknown victims Forensic Genetic Genealogy will hopefully help families determine the identities of unknown victims Aim: How can we protect genetic privacy? Do Now: Pair/Share: You work for Greyhound Bus Company as a supervisor. This woman Shelly Walker comes in for an interview to be a driver. Do you hire her? Why or why not? Success Criteria: I can discuss challenges to genetic privacy Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), which prohibits genetic information discrimination in employment, took effect on November 21, 2009 The law forbids discrimination on the basis of genetic information when it comes to any aspect of employment, including hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoffs, training, fringe benefits, or any other term or condition of employment. An employer may never use genetic information to make an employment decision because genetic information is not relevant to an individual's current ability to work. What does GINA protect you against? Health Insurance (Title I) - But NOT disability, life or long term care insurance Employment (Title II) - Does NOT apply to the military GINA does not apply to employers with fewer than 15 employees. Under GINA it is permissible for employers to request employees' genetic information for the purposes of voluntary wellness programs. Pair/Share: Do you agree that not hiring someone for a “stressful” job because their father died of a heart attack is discriminatory? Pair/Share: Marcy posts a link to a flyer on Instagram for a fundraiser for her dad who has Huntington’s Disease. Her profile is public. Marcy applies for a new job and is denied. Her potential supervisor cites her family history. Is the employer protected here? Why or why not? Pair/Share: Can you think of any questions or potential scenarios that might come up now, that maybe weren’t a concern in 2008 when the law was drafted? The year is 2049, You work for Greyhound Bus Company as a supervisor. This woman Shelly Walker comes in for an interview to be a driver. As is the policy now, you request genetic testing before hiring. Shelly has CNGB1-retinitis pigmentosa, a mutation of the CNGB1 gene which means she will go blind in the next 5-15 years. Do you hire her? Why or why not? Is it ethical to genetically test for these things as well? Common medical tests include checking that the truck driver: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Has 20/40 correctable vision in each eye Can hear a “forced whisper from at least five feet way in at least one ear” Has a stable blood pressure Does not have a strong risk for diabetes, or a requirement that they have insulin injections* Has a healthy heart Does not have a respiratory illness, spinal cord injuries, paralysis, brain disorder, or any neurological disorders Does not have symptoms of dizziness or fainting Does not have digestive problems, kidney disease, epilepsy or seizure, psychiatric difficulties, or sleep apnea Does not have chronic pain Does not have any signs of alcohol or drug abuse Pair/Share: is “Genoism” possible in the future even with laws like GINA? Why or why not? 2013: Changes to HIPAA: genetic information is considered to be health information; therefore, it cannot be used by health insurers to make any decisions about health insurance benefits, eligibility for benefits, or the calculation of premiums under a health plan