“Can Biotechnology Be Ethical: The CRISPR Conundrum”

Description

The advent of genome editing in humans has led to many ethical questions. Join bioethicist Deborah Matthews, Ph.D., from the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, at the Jesup Memorial Library on Tuesday, July 23 at 7 p.m. for a talk about CRISPR technology, how it can be used and what the ethical questions are surrounding its use. This talk is part of the Primary Source Speaker Series, which is a partnership between The Jackson Laboratory and the Jesup. This year’s series is “Getting Personal: How Your Genes are Shaping the Future of Healthcare” and focuses on how genetic research is affecting your healthcare.
 
CRISPR technology allows researchers to alter DNA sequences and gene function. Its many potential applications include correcting genetic defects, treating and preventing the spread of diseases and much more. However, the use of technology raise questions about the ethics and consequences of changing a genome. Dr. Matthews will discuss the latest, dramatic changes in genetics research, how both the research and healthcare communities are utilizing these technologies and what cultural shift is needed to respond to the ethical questions that are being asked.
 
Dr. Matthews is the Assistant Director for Science Programs for the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. As the Assistant Director for Science Programs, Dr. Mathews is responsible for overseeing the Stem Cell Policy and Ethics program and the Program in Ethics and Brain Sciences. She is also a member of the steering committee of The Hinxton Group, an international collective of scientists, ethicists, policymakers and others, interested in ethical and well-regulated science, and whose work focuses primarily on stem cell research. Dr. Mathews has been an active member of the International Neuroethics Society since 2006 and has served on the Society’s Board of Directors since 2015. Dr. Mathews’s academic work focuses on ethics and policy issues raised by emerging biotechnologies, with particular focus on genetics, stem cell science, neuroscience and synthetic biology.
 
For more information on this talk visit jesuplibrary.org/primarysource or call 207-288-4245.