The latest from the Center for Genetics and Society     DONATE April 13, 2023   Did you miss it? Video now available!  Our most recent webinar brought together Kavita Ramdas, Alana Cattapan, Amrita Pande, and Susan Berke Fogel for a fascinating exploration of intersectional feminist concerns about reproductive uses of human genome editing. You can find videos and transcripts for all of the webinars in the series and learn more about our Missing Voices Initiative on the CGS website.         In 20 words or less…Why oppose heritable genome editing? Earlier this year, CGS asked advocates and scholars why they oppose heritable genome editing. Find out what they had to say in this short video.     Whether or How to Use Artificial Gametes Pete Shanks, Biopolitical Times | 04.13.2023 With increasing media attention on advances in making artificial gametes, it is important to remember that current gene editing technologies are still a long way from perfect, that artificial gametes have thus far been convincingly created only in animals, and that both technologies raise far-reaching social perils.   SYNTHETIC EMBRYOS | GENOME EDITING | GENOMICS | EUGENICS ASSISTED REPRODUCTION | SURROGACY360 | VARIOUS   SYNTHETIC EMBRYOS Creating and implanting synthetic monkey embryos could pave the way to stem-cell babies Françoise Baylis, The Conversation | 04.12.2023 Are synthetic human-like embryo structures sufficiently different from human embryos created by fertilization to be exempt from the current limits on human embryo research? This biotech could one day make human eggs from scratch. But first, they’re trying to rethink IVF Megan Molteni, STAT | 04.08.2023 One company’s efforts to make lab-grown eggs has not yet been successful, but in the meantime, they are hoping that the “reproductive support cells” they have made can help immature eggs harvested in the IVF process to continue developing in the lab. Synthetic embryos have been implanted into monkey wombs Jessica Hamzelou, MIT Technology Review | 04.06.2023 Researchers created monkey embryos from stem cells instead of a sperm and egg. When they implanted the synthetic embryos into adult monkeys, some showed initial signs of pregnancy.   GENOME EDITING Gene Editing Therapeutics Could Hit the Market in 2023 Jia Jie Chen, BioSpace | 04.10.2023 Although there are currently no gene-editing-based treatments on the market, several companies have products in mid- and late-stage trials. Some could gain FDA approval this year. The Motives of Medicine Lisa Rosenbaum, New England Journal of Medicine | 03.23.2023 In a podcast interview, cardiologist Ethan Weiss discusses how his daughter’s monogenic disorder and her opposition to heritable genome editing challenged his own view of CRISPR. State Stem Cell Agency Approves $26 Million to Remove Obstacles to Gene and Cell Therapy Treatments David Jensen, The California Stem Cell Report | 03.30.2023 The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine awarded new three-year grants for stem cell and gene therapy research. Since 2004, about 80% percent of grants have gone to institutions linked to CIRM directors, a situation that is legal but the subject of criticism.   GENOMICS Rethinking the Use of Race and Other Labels in Genetics Research Geoffrey Mock, Duke Today | 03.31.2023 Citing concerns about the use of race as a proxy for human genetic variation, a committee formed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine advised that researchers avoid using race in genetics research. Why the rise of DNA testing is creating challenges — and an opportunity Noura Abul-Husn, STAT | 03.29.2023 Healthcare providers are often ill-equipped to incorporate genetic test results into clinical practice. A Nonprofit Wants Your DNA Data to Solve Crimes Emily Mullin, Wired | 03.23.2023 Law enforcement use of DNA to solve crimes currently relies on commercial databases meant for genealogy research. A new nonprofit is building a database explicitly for criminal investigations, but providing one’s genetic information remains risky.   EUGENICS California Woman Tells Her Story of Being Sterilized Under State Program That Was the Model for Nazi Germany Deborah Hastings, Inside Edition | 04.06.2023 Before it was repealed in 1979, California’s eugenics law allowed the sterilization of thousands of residents, many of them poor and people of color, who were considered unworthy of having children. As recently as 2014, state prisons sterilized female inmates, many without their consent or knowledge. In the whitewashed world of Alzheimer’s research, one scientist is on a quest to understand the diversity of brains Usha Lee McFarling, STAT | 03.30.2023 Lisa Barnes aims to correct disparities in research that have left Black Americans’ experiences of dementia understudied. Her findings underscore that social factors associated with racial categories play a larger role than genetics in differential cognitive outcomes. From Eugenics to Targeted Advertising: The Dark Role of Data in Sorting Humanity Chris Wiggins and Matthew L. Jones, Literary Hub | 03.27.2023 Francis Galton’s efforts to understand human differences were rooted in eugenics. The impact of his approach can be seen in more recent efforts to understand individuals through aggregated Internet data.   ASSISTED REPRODUCTION Jaw-Dropping Lawsuit Filed Against Dutch Serial Sperm Donor Ellen Trachman, Above the Law | 04.05.2023 A Dutch donor-conceived advocacy organization has filed a lawsuit against a Dutch “serial sperm donor,” alleging that he has caused harm by raising the risk of incest and inbreeding because his sperm has been used to conceive between 550 and 1,000 children.   SURROGACY 360     Government-Commissioned Review Recommends Changes to UK Surrogacy Law Proposed reforms to UK surrogacy law published by the Law Commissions of Scotland and England and Wales include a new “pathway” for intended parents to become legal parents as soon as the child is born, as well as a continued ban on payment for surrogacy. These articles explain the reasons for these and other proposed reforms and the implications should they be implemented.   Far-right Italian Government Seeks to Limit Same-Sex Couples' Use of Surrogacy The European Parliament has condemned a recent order by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to stop certifying birth certificates for same-sex couples who had children through surrogacy in other countries. These articles explain how Meloni’s crackdown on surrogacy is part of a wider attack on the rights of LGBTQ+ Italians.   VARIOUS Research with exotic viruses risks a deadly outbreak, scientists warn David Willman and Joby Warrrick, The Washington Post | 04.10.2023 Decades of global expansion of risky research into exotic viruses, including lab-engineered viruses made with synthetic DNA, has outpaced regulations to ensure the safety of the work. ‘Thousands of Dollars for Something I Didn’t Do’ Kashmir Hill and Ryan Mac, The New York Times | 03.31.2023 Because of a bad AI facial recognition match, Randal Reid spent nearly a week in jail, falsely accused of stealing purses in a state he said he had never even visited. FBI, Pentagon helped research facial recognition for street cameras, drones Drew Harwell, The Washington Post | 03.07.2023 Internal documents show that FBI and Department of Defense officials were working closely with academic researchers to refine artificial intelligence techniques that could help in the identification or tracking of Americans without their awareness or consent.   If you’ve read this far, you clearly care about the fight to reclaim human biotechnologies for the common good. Thank you!  Will you support CGS by making a donation today? DONATE       SUBSCRIBE | WEBSITE | ABOUT US | CONTACT       DONATE The Center For Genetics and Society | 2900 Lakeshore Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!