Northwestern News on the Web: http://www.northwestern.edu/univ-relations/media_relations/ FOR RELEASE: Immediate EXPERTS TO DISCUSS PROMISE - AND DANGERS - OF THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT EVANSTON, Ill. - As scientists continue to announce major technological breakthroughs related to the mapping and understanding of the human genome, many questions loom in people's minds. How will this new genetic data affect me? Will scientists be able to cure cancer? Is it now possible to clone a human being? What exactly is a genome anyway? The general public will have the opportunity to receive answers - and ask questions - at a Northwestern University conference featuring a distinguished panel of experts led by Harold T. Shapiro, president of Princeton University and chair of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission. Panelists will discuss - in plain English, for nonscientists - the medical, ethical and legal implications of decoding the human genome. The free program, "The Human Genome Project: Progress, Problems and Prospects," will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 14, at Northwestern University's Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 1977 South Campus Drive, Evanston. Begun in 1989, the Human Genome Project represents an international effort to map every human gene to a location on a chromosome and to determine the molecular makeup or sequence of each gene. The conference will examine the issues surrounding this enormous project, providing an up-to-date and provocative discussion of the progress being made, what remains to be done, how the information may be used and what kinds of problems might arise. Experts will address specific questions such as: - Will information derived from the Human Genome Project present opportunities, in the near term, for diagnosis and treatment of genetic disorders? - Will genetic profiles of large numbers of people be on record, as fingerprints are? If so, who will have access to this information? Can a person's genetic profile affect job security or insurability? - What does it mean to have a patent on a human gene? - What impact will new genetic technologies have on our society? The schedule follows. Each speaker will take 10 minutes of questions from the audience. 9-9:10 a.m. - Welcoming remarks 9:10-9:45 a.m. - "What is the Human Genome Project and What Does It Mean for Me?" Rex Chisholm, professor of cell and molecular biology and director of the Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University 9:45-10:15 a.m. - "Implications of the Human Genome Project for the Practice of Medicine." Charles J. Epstein, professor of pediatrics and chief of the division of medical genetics, University of California, San Francisco 10:15-10:45 a.m. - "Implications of Genomics for Human Affairs and Public Policy." Alexander Rosenberg, professor of philosophy, Duke University 10:45-11 a.m. - Break 11-11:30 a.m. - "Assuring Justice in the Post-Genome Era." Lori Andrews, professor of law and director of the Institute for Science, Law and Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. - "Setting Public Policy on Morally Contested Issues." Panel discussion moderated by Harold Shapiro, president and professor of economics and public affairs, Princeton University The conference is organized by Northwestern's department of neurobiology and physiology and sponsored primarily by the Klopsteg Lecture Fund, which was established at Northwestern in 1960 to support programs that promote public understanding of science and technology. For additional information, contact Diana Zlatanovski at (847) 467-1573 or visit the conference's Web site at www.northwestern.edu/genome. -------------------- check out <www.tech.nwu.edu/~indrel/home.html> ! Allison H. Berger Office of Industry Relations Northwestern University 2145 Sheridan Road Tel: (847) 491-3365 Fax: (847) 467-3033 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- This is the CPS Science Teacher List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/science%40lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
