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Germline Intervention
The Arts
Cartoons
by Dave MacLachlan
MacLachlan has created a site called "Cloning Around" that includes a page called "Gene-Splicing," where the user can click to scramble a cartoon, and then rebuild it. The cartoons concern cloning and human genetic modifications. This website is available at:by Tom Scott, Ecoglobe
Ecoglobe is a New Zealand site that contains writings and cartoons addressing scientific technology. Tom Scott has a cartoon entitled Great Moments in Genetic Engineering that shows a portly body builder being approached by representatives of the poultry industry who are interested in purchasing some of his chromosomes to splice into their chickens. The cartoon is available at:http://www.ecoglobe.org/nz/ge-news/scot0640.htm
by Larry Gonick and Mark Wheelis
Gonick, a San Francisco artist, and Wheelis, a University of California Davis microbiologist, present a humorous look at genetics utilizing their artistic and scientific talents. The Cartoon Guide to Genetics (1991) contains sections entitled "The Spiral Staircase" and "Genetic Engineering," which specifically reference the double helix work of Watson and Crick and the recombinant DNA work of Cohen and Boyer.
Films
Brave New World
Set in a future society where social stability is ensured by a caste system based on the way a child is conditioned pre- and post-natally and by a drug that eradicates pain and unhappiness. This movie was based on Aldous Huxley·s novel of the same title.(1980, 1998) NBC TV Movie
Deep Blue Sea
Set in a research laboratory in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a group of scientists enlarge the brain sizes of sharks in order to find a cure for degenerative human brain diseases. As a side effect, the sharks get smarter and more aggressive."(1999) Warner Studios
Hulk
A scientist performs genetic experiments on himself and then passes these genes on to his son. Years later, the son is exposed to gamma radiation, which triggers his father·s genetic mutations. When provoked, the son becomes the incredible Hulk, a powerful giant green monster, with repressed childhood memories as the source of his fury.(2003) Universal Studios
Jurassic Park
A wealthy entrepreneur uses DNA fragments preserved inside amber-encased insects to bring dinosaurs to life and subsequently creates an island theme park featuring the genetically engineered dinosaurs. He invites a group of people to visit the park before opening it to the public, and during the group·s visit, the park·s security system breaks down, allowing the dinosaurs to break out of their cages. The movie is based on Michael Crichton·s best-selling novel of the same name.(1993) Universal/MCA
Mimic
An entomologist and her husband create a genetically-altered breed of insect to kill disease-infected cockroaches in New York City. The breed was engineered to have a short life expectancy, but after three years the breed has survived and the insects have evolved into giant roaches that prey on humans.(1997) Dimension
Soldier
After being bitten by a genetically modified spider during a field trip, a nerdy high school boy develops spider-like characteristics. As the amazing "Spider-Man," the boy uses his superhero powers to fight crime.(2002) Columbia/Tristar Studios
Novels
Beggars and Choosers by Nancy Kress
In the second book of the series stemming from the novel Beggars in Spain, the Sleepless all live on a remote island ostracized from the rest of society. It is there that they have developed a preventative medicine that can make the severely ill healthy but are denied permission to release it.(Tor: New York 1996)
Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress
As humans genetically-modified to never require sleep, the "Sleepless" are treated as outcasts from society and are victims of hatred, repression, and violence.(Tor: New York 1993)
Beggars Ride by Nancy Kress
This third story is a continuation of Beggars in Spain, set against a backdrop where the rich are able to genetically modify themselves to perfection. One class starts a class war by discontinuing distribution of a substance that prevents disease to the poorest class.(Tor: New York 1997)
Brain Child by George Turner
A journalist who was raised in a state orphanage finds out that he was actually conceived without parents as part of a government experiment aimed at creating genetically-superior humans.(William Morrow: New York 1991)
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
This novel is set in a future society where social stability is ensured by a caste system based on the way a child is conditioned pre- and post-natally and by a drug that eradicates pain and unhappiness.(Harper & Row: New York 1946)
Chromosome 6 by Robin Cook
An investigation leads a forensic investigator to Africa, where he discovers that a molecular biologist is adding human molecules to chromosome 6 in apes. The apes are cultivated to provide human organ transplants.(Berkeley Pub Group: New York 1998)
Germline by Nelson Erlick
The author explores the ramifications of gene therapy in this science fiction thriller that focuses on the development of one company·s gene therapy techniques advertised to eradicate a number of deadly diseases.(Forge: New York 2003)
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
A billionaire uses DNA fragments preserved inside amber-encased insects to bring dinosaurs to life and subsequently creates an island theme park featuring the genetically engineered dinosaurs. He invites a group of people to visit the park before opening it to the public, and during the group·s visit the park·s security system breaks down, allowing the dinosaurs to break out of their cages.(Ballantine Books: New York 1990)
Slan by A.E. Van Vogt
A Slan is a human genetically bred to have telepathic powers. A Slan boy must flee persecution from normal humans who despise the powers Slans have.(St. Martin·s Press: New York 1998)
Slatewiper by Lewis Perdue
The protagonist of this story is a CEO for a genetic engineering laboratory that cures or treats diseases using synthetic genes made from DNA. She is called on to fight an ethnic bioweapon that targets people with specific genetic characteristics. She later discovers that her own work is the source of the bioweapon.(Forge: New York 2003)
The Elementary Particles by Michel Houellebecq
This novel was originally published in France (Les Particules Elementaires (Paris: Flammarion 1998)) and follows the lives of two half-brothers. One of the brothers is an unemotional genetic researcher and the other has a compulsive sexual appetite. The story offers a view into the new millennium and the possibility of a post-human species resulting from genetic engineering and cloning technologies that will remedy humanity’s flaws.(Vintage Books: New York 2000)
The Lake House by James Patterson
This is the sequel to When the Wind Blows. Children genetically engineered to fly are being chased by the scientist who ran the secret laboratory where they were created.(Little Brown & Company: New York 2003)
The Song of the Earth by Hugh Nissenson
Set in the future, this story reconstructs the life of the first genetically engineered artist after he is murdered at the age of 19.(Algonquin Books: Chapel Hill, NC 2001)
Wetware by Craig Nova
A genetic code programmer of the future develops creatures to perform menial tasks for society such as washing dishes or cleaning the streets. As the demands for workers progress, the programmer is asked to create models that are more human in both appearance and behavior, having distinct personalities, talents, and highly developed minds.(Shaye Areheart Books: New York 2002)
Visual Arts
Critical Art Ensemble by Various
As a collective of 5 artists of various specialties such as book art, performance, computer, film, video, and photography, CAE·s performances criticize various aspects of biotechnology, including human genetics research and assisted reproductive technologies. The website is available at:
Media Monitoring
Cancer's genetic fingerprint allows doctors to personalise treatment
A personalised blood test that monitors cancer in the body and spots when it has returned after treatment has been developed by scientists. Researchers believe the test will give doctors a way to tailor cancer treatments to individual patients by monitoring how well their tumour has responded to surgery or therapy and picking up the early signs of a recurrence.'Humanised' organs created through pig cells
The world's first pig stem cells have been created from porcine ear and bone-marrow cells. Researchers at the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology in Shanghai, China, say they are the first to achieve this in hoofed animals.
A real breakthrough? Organ creation and transplantation
The first transplant of a whole, complex organ, engineered specifically for a particular patient can certainly be regarded as a significant milestone in scientific progress. But without fuelling hype and hysteria, can it be considered a breakthrough?A Vision for Personalized Medicine
Genomics pioneer Leroy Hood says a coming revolution in medicine will bring enormous new opportunities. Leroy Hood has been at the center of a number of paradigm shifts in biology. He helped to invent the first automated DNA sequencing machine in the 1980s, along with several other technologies that have changed the face of molecular biology.ADHD 'passed on through genes'
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is a genetic condition, research suggests.Advances in gene therapy and GM embryos
Scientists are on the verge of ridding inherited diseases from future generations with a new technique for swapping genes between unfertilised human eggs before the resulting IVF embryos are implanted into the womb.Ageing gene found by scientists could be key to longer lifespans
The researchers have located a gene which determines whether or not a person will biologically age quickly or slowly. They think that by testing for the gene when some one is young could identify whether they have to alter their lifestyle accordingly.Babies with three parents may be key to preventing genetic disorders
Babies with three biological parents could be conceived within three years after research that could stop children from inheriting severe diseases.Blood Matters: From Inherited Illness to Designer Babies
Reviewed by Kyle Scott
Genetic testing offers us an insight that we have never had before. It allows us to look back and forward at the same time. A chance to see some of the family risks that we share with our ancestors, and also, what the future may hold for us. Blood Matters is a thoughtful and provoking look at how this knowledge changes lives and the decisions that it brings.
Bubble baby gene therapy 'worth the risk'
Rhys Evans was born with no functioning immune system and no resistance to infection.Cell change 'keeps organs young'
Cellular 'battery' is new source of stroke defence
Gene hunters looking for the causes of strokes and other common diseases may have been looking in the wrong place.Clampdown on companies offering genetic disease testing
Government advisers step into unregulated industry amid fears customers can be misinformed.Consumers need protection from unrealistic claims of home genetic tests, new report states
A new report calls for consumer protection from unrealistic claims of home genetic tests.Discovery of new role for telmomerase in gene expression
A molecule called telomerase, best known for enabling unlimited cell division of stem cells and cancer cells, has a surprising additional role in the expression of genes in an important stem cell regulatory pathway, say researchers at the Stanford University School of MedicineDNA bank hits goal of enrolling half a million adults
The most comprehensive health study in the UK has reached its goal of enrolling 500,000 adults.DNA surgery offers hope
A new treatment involving the body's own machinery for editing genes could fulfil the idea's extraordinary promise.DNA sweep finds new genes linked to diabetes
Hundreds of scientists sifting through genetic data from 122,000 people have quintupled the number of gene variants known to boost the risk of diabetes, a pair of studies released Sunday reported.DNA test for inherited diseases
A fast, low cost DNA test which can determine a person's chances of developing certain inherited diseases could soon be a reality, experts said.Don't blame your genes...change them!
Among the most radical and surprising findings of genetic research is the idea that genes aren't fixed and set at the moment of conception, like cards in a hand of poker. Instead, most genes come with dimmer switches attached.European Geneticists Take a Strong Stand on Direct-to-Consumer Gene Tests
Scrutiny of the freewheeling direct-to-consumer gene test industry is building in the US.Fake skin patches could deliver helpful genes
Patches of synthetic skin could deliver gene therapies to patients without the need for injections. Jon Vogel and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, cultured fibroblasts and keratinocytes – the principal cells of the skin – and introduced into their genomes the gene for atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), which is naturally released by cells in the heart. It reduces blood pressure by dilating blood vessels and lowering blood volume.
Gene testing for doctors
A new device rapidly analyzes blood for medically relevant genetic variations. A desktop instrument recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration might finally bring pharmacogenomic testing--the use of a patient's genetic information for drug prescription decisions--to the mainstream.Gene testing for the masses
A Silicon Valley start-up is making the bold claim that it can help eradicate that disease and more than 100 others by alerting parents-to-be who have the carrier genes. The company, Counsyl, is selling a test that it says can tell couples whether they are at risk of having children with a range of inherited diseases.Gene that causes Parkinson's disease identified
Researchers have found a molecule that causes the nerve cell death in the brain that sparks the condition – and hope they can soon stop it in its tracks.Gene Therapy for Eye Diseases
A new method could help macular degeneration patients avoid regular injections into the eye.Gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy could be tested in 2 years
A new treatment for an incurable wasting disease that kills about 50 British infants every year could begin human trials within two years, after highly encouraging results in animals.Genes behind stammering uncovered
Stammering has long been recognised to run in families, but scientists now say they have identified three genes which may cause the problem in some people.Genetic 'Light Switches' Control Muscle Movement
The technique will improve research on neuromuscular disorders and could one day help paralyzed patients.Genetic code 2.0: Life gets a new operating system
A new way of using the genetic code has been created, allowing proteins to be made with properties that have never been seen in the natural world. The breakthrough could eventually lead to the creation of new or "improved" life forms incorporating these new materials into their tissue.Genetic editing advances: Hello prime editing
Prime editing has been described as a “genetic word processor” able to accurately re–write the genetic code.Genetic research: What's it real value?
Only five years ago scientists knew almost nothing about the genetic factors that influence common diseases. Although major mutations that cause devastating but rare conditions such as cystic fibrosis had been identified, the inherited contribution to major causes of death and ill health such as diabetes and heart disease remained opaque.Genetic Testing Heads to the Pharmacy
Even though nearly 2,000 genetic tests are available today, most Americans have never taken one. (Save, perhaps, for newborn screening.) That may soon change, as the nation's largest businesses responsible for managing prescription benefits, Medco and CVS Caremark, delve into the DNA testing business.Genetics lead the way on cancer breakthrough
All the mutations that turn healthy cells cancerous in both lung and skin tumours have been identified in what researchers described as a "transforming moment" in the search for preventions, treatments and cures for both terminal illnesses.Genome at 10: Scientists urge patience for medical breakthroughs
The genome has yet to deliver on promises it would usher in a golden age of medicine, experts say in a debate unleashed by the looming anniversary of the first draft of the human genetic code.Genome sequence - available to all
Fancy having your genome sequenced? It's becoming affordable, and 2010 will see the launch of a wave of genetic discovery that could turn it into a purchase worth making.Genomes of an entire family sequenced in world first
Sequencing the genomes of every family member gives researchers a powerful new tool for tracking down the defective genes that cause inherited diseases. An American family has become the first to have the entire genome of each member mapped to identify the causes of rare diseases that affect the children.Genomic medicine revolutionises NHS
Scientists will attend consultations between patients and doctors to advise on genetics under government plans to prepare the NHS for a revolution in DNA-based medicine.Just a matter of changing the battery?
Within the last month, an announcement has been made in the journal Nature regarding a new procedure which could eventually help women with dysfunctional mitochondria [1].The team of scientists based at the University of Newcastle, UK have been able to grow human embryos after merging DNA from two fertilised eggs. However, before this technique becomes a widely accessible form of clinical treatment there are a number of ethical questions which need addressing which arise from the midst of such cutting edge research.Making the blind see: Gene therapy restores vision in mice
Scientists from Buffalo, Cleveland, and Oklahoma City made a huge step toward making the blind see, and they did it by using a form of gene therapy that does not involve the use of modified viruses.Male and female - it all hangs on one gene
Researchers have found that the body is in a constant fight to remain either female or male and the suppression of just one gene could cause it to "flip" from one to the other. The remarkable findings refute the generally held view that sex is determined at birth and is irreversible in later life.Male infertility gene discovered
A faulty gene could help explain some cases of unexplained male infertility, according to research.Nanodiamonds used in gene therapy
Now a team of Northwestern University researchers has introduced the power of nanodiamonds as a novel gene delivery technology that combines key properties in one approach: enhanced delivery efficiency along with outstanding biocompatibility.New test Counsyl focuses on classic genetic diseases
With its focus on classic genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis, the Counsyl “universal genetic test” has a distinctly “retro” feel to it. Many of the ethical issues raised by this new service are not new but rather present new challenges because of the scale and means of delivery.NHS not ready to take advantage of genetic sequencing
The health service is not ready for an impending genetic revolution in medicine and requires urgent reform to turn scientific advances into better patient care, a parliamentary inquiry declares today.Potential of genomic medicine could be lost, say science think-tanks
The NHS needs a new body for evaluating diagnostic tests if it is to make the most of advances in genomic medicine, says a report to be published on Tuesday.Regulation could save genome scanning, not kill it
Are we witnessing the beginning of the end of "personal genomics"? After a bruising hearing in the US Congress last week, and with the Food and Drug Administration flexing its regulatory muscles, that is what some commentators predict.Rewiring genetic switches
Researchers in Manchester have successfully carried out the first rewire of genetic switches, creating what could be a vital tool for the development of new drugs and even future gene therapies.Scientists Identify DNA That May Contribute to Each Person's Uniqueness
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine scanned the human genome and discovered what they believe is the reason people have such a variety of physical traits and disease risks.Signs of improved sight from gene therapy
A groundbreaking therapy to treat blindness by injecting healthy genes into the eye improved patients sight by 1,000-fold a year after the initial treatment.Speed Reading of DNA May Help Cancer Treatment
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have developed a way to monitor the progress of a patient’s cancer treatment using a new technique for rapidly sequencing, or decoding, large amounts of DNA.Tutu donates his genome to science
He has won the Nobel Peace Prize, campaigned for human rights and bared his soul in truth and reconciliation. Now Desmond Tutu has given something else to humanity: his genome.U.S. Food and Drug Administration to overhaul regulation of genetic testing
In a prelude to overhauling its regulatory oversight of genetic diagnostic testing, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will convene a public meeting next week to gather input from test makers and others.Using epigenetics to fight disease
A startup is targeting diseases including cancer using epigenetic approaches.Walgreen To Sell Pathway Genomics Genetic Test Kits Mid-May
Walgreen Co. (WAG) will start to selling genetic tests in about 6,000 of its stores starting in mid-May, an early foray into mainstreaming tests designed to help evaluate a person's relative risk of developing certain diseases.What Should You Ask Before You Give Up DNA?
US Researchers are collecting information, including the genetic kind, to see if the fair is an effective way to recruit and stay connected with study subjects.Why genes are leftwing
When the map of the human genome was presented to the world in 2001, psychiatrists had high hopes for it.Women consider 'friends as fathers'
More than half of women would think about asking a friend to have children with them if the right person doesn't come along, a survey has said.
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