ZYGO—CUT & PASTE: Ethics of Genetic Testing, Editing, and Cataloging

ZYGO—CUT & PASTE: Genetic Testing, Editing, and Cataloging

In 2006, Anne Wojcicki set out with the goal of providing DNA analyses directly to consumers, giving them information about their health, precursors to diseases, and ancestry. This later became 23andMe, which now reveals to consumers whether they possess genetic mutations, including those associated with breast cancer and Lynch syndrome, to improve the health of its consumers with a saliva sample. The rise of direct-to-consumer genetic testing has come with a wave of ethical questions surrounding the use of genetic information. How does the evolution of medical technology change the current standards of health care? How can we ensure genetic testing progresses ethically in the best interest of consumers? Join us for a panel of experts in the field with genetic counselors and researchers from LA. Dinner will be provided.

Panelists:

Dr. Jerry Lee is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine and Chemical Engineering & Material Sciences at USC Keck and Viterbi. He is also the Chief Science and Innovation Officer for the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine of USC, where he provides leadership and guidance on the scientific direction of the programs in 21st century cancer research. Prior to USC, Dr. Lee served for more than a decade as a Health Sciences Director within the National Cancer Institute’s Office of the Director where he coordinated programs to create publicly accessible data to advance cancer research for patient benefits, making him an expert on technology policy issues regarding genomic data.

David Craig serves as Vice-Chair of USC's new Department of Translational Genomics within the USC Keck School of Medicine. Dr. Craig's expertise is in genomics, bioinformatics, and data analysis of high-throughput genomics data. His group has pioneered the use of next generation genomics approaches for developing better diagnostics and better treatments to enable precision medicine. Analytical tools developed by his laboratory span both research and clinical practice, and provide a unique understanding of the privacy challenges and opportunities from these emerging technologies. With over 150 publication, his work in genomic privacy includes some of the most significant papers addressing the challenges of data sharing and data privacy.