Genetic Research
and the Future of Medicine
February 1-3, 2001
The announcement last June that scientists have successfully mapped
the entire human genome both marks the end of many years of work and
the beginning of what promises to be a new era in genetic research.
With this enormous and fundamental task now complete (and a high-quality
sequence of the human genome due by 2003), the possibilities for the
practical applications of this data are seemingly endless. Thus, the
time is clearly right to discuss the directions that gene research will
take, as well as might and should take, in what many are calling the
"biology century" that lies ahead.
The technology, resources, and data being produced today in the field
of genomics research promise to have a major impact on research across
the life sciences. In addition, this work seems likely to enable important
innovations in every area of life, from the discovery and cultivation
of new energy sources to the development of more sophisticated techniques
of criminal forensics. Indeed, advances in genetic research have already
begun to produce profound impacts in the field of medicine. Beyond making
possible the early treatment of diseases, advances in genetic research
are allowing us to foresee a day in which the augmentation or even replacement
of defective genes through gene therapy are common procedures, and in
which "custom drugs" are catered to the precise genetic makeup of individual
patients. Overall, the work that is being done in gene research today
promises to revolutionize the entire spectrum of biological research
and clinical medicine.
Among the work currently contributing to the productivity of the life
sciences is ground-breaking research on the causes and consequences
of genetic variation. Combining new technologies and powerful theoretical
models, cell biologists and human geneticists are shedding new light
on the expression or regulation of genes in individual organisms and
entire populations. The research findings from such work are allowing
us to better understand the mechanics and patterns of gene variation
in plant and insect populations, for instance, or in phenomena such
as diseases typically associated with a single racial, ethnic, or religious
group.
What are the most immediate developments that we may expect from the
field of genetic research, and what possibilities lie further ahead?
How are new findings changing the way we look at the role of genomic
analysis in understanding gene function, the relation of humans to other
creatures, and the future of biomedical research? What role will ethical
and social considerations play in the pursuit or implementation of genetic
information? Our seminar will call on biologists, geneticists, and medical
ethicists to discuss the issues that will profoundly affect the course
of genetic research in years ahead. Topics to be addressed may include
new developments in plant cell biology; population-level variation in
the Drosophilus or fruit fly; the evolution of the Y chromosome and
its significance for the determination of sex; and the implications
of genetic research for underprivileged groups.
Speakers will include Martin Kreitman (Department of Ecology & Evolution),
Bruce Lahn (Departments of Human Genetics and Molecular Genetics & Cell
Biology), Mary Mahowald (Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Assistant
Director, MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics), Laurens Mets
(Department of Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology), and Carole Ober (Departments
of Human Genetics and Obstetrics & Gynecology).
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University of Chicago