Personal Genetics in the High School Classroom: Ethical, Legal and Social Issues

Current high school students are … Continue reading →]]> Professional Development for High School Teachers
July 17-18, 2013; 9:30-4:00
Boston, MA
Earn 12 PDPs for the two-day session
Cost: $30 (scholarships available)

Personal Genetics in the High School Classroom: Ethical, Legal and Social Issues

Current high school students are among the first generation that will have unprecedented access to information about their DNA, as genome sequencing and genetic testing become cheaper and more available.  We create interactive lessons that engage students in discussions about the potential risks and benefits of knowing more about your DNA, as well as ways in which they could be impacted.

This two-day training for teachers will be an introduction to personal genetics and its impact on society. A wave of personal genetic information is coming – how can we prepare students to make informed choices for themselves and for society as a whole?

Through workshop-style sessions, we will look at examples of the hopes, realities and controversies in personal genetics.  We will start with an overview: Why is genetics getting more personal?  How will the flood of genetic testing impact this generation? Through our lessons, we make connections to real world opportunities and conundrums your students and their families will face in the coming years.

Topics to be covered: Advances in personal genetics, the intersection of athletics and genetics, genetics and aggression/complex human behavior, reproductive genetics, low cost genetic testing, fears and realities of genetic discrimination, crime and DNA, and critical thinking as it applies to assessing genetic risk factors. Curricular materials and articles will be provided.

Content Area:  Biology, Health, Social Studies, Genetics, and Bioethics; grades 9 – 12

For more information or to register, email Lauren Tomaselli at ltomaselli@pged.med.harvard.edu or call (617) 432-1797.

For … Continue reading →]]> High School teachers often examine the biology of Huntington’s Disease in their classes.  A rare, devasting neurological disorder, it is an outlier compared to many other conditions because of its dominant inheritance pattern and it is 100% penetrant.

For a teacher looking to include the human side of Huntington’s Disease into a classroom discussion, we still feel that Amy Harmon’s article, Facing Life with a Lethal Gene, in the New York Times is standing the test of time.   Harmon’s piece follows a young woman getting testing for the Huntington’s variant, and examines what it means for her, her friends – and her mother who will in effect be made aware of her status if her daughter finds out she is positive for the variant.  The videos can be used to great effect in classrooms, as homework, or for a teacher looking for a way to frame some of the issues for one’s students.

Two new things about Huntington’s Disease that has caught pgEd’s eye. First, at the GET Conference, we learned of HD Buzz, a website featuring Huntington’s Disease news, written by scientists for the general public.  If a student wanted to learn more about HD, this is a great starting point as all their writing is based on peer reviewed work and their stated aim be be impartial and fair when discussing the research.

We know from experience that students and teachers often find legal cases around genetics to be compelling – a case in the UK has been in the new this week.  Two young children, in the foster care system and likely candidates for adoption – may come from a family with a history of Huntington’s Disease.  The court was asked to decide if the children should be genetically tested for the HD variant, with the question being – do potential adoptive parents have the right to know the children may be at risk?  Or do the rights of the children preclude such testing?

The Judge decided that the children should not be tested. His thinking is summed up at the end of a rather lengthy (but interesting) summary of the case: “ Balancing all these factors together, I have reached the clear conclusion, on the facts of this case, that it is not in the welfare interests of Y or Z for the court to order testing to establish whether they are carrying the gene for HD. The risk, identified in the consensus of opinion amongst professionals working in this field including Professor Patton, of emotional and psychological harm to the boys if one or both of them has the gene, including the risk of separation of the siblings and the damage to their personal autonomy by being deprived of the right, available to all other children, to decide for themselves when they reach adulthood whether or not to undergo the test, outweighs the risk of harm arising from the likelihood that it will be harder (though not, in my judgment, impossible) to find an adoptive placement if genetic testing is not carried out.”

As promised at the GETed conference, we are starting a new feature at pgEd to help teachers and others keep up with the torrent of news related to genetics and society.  In the past few weeks, the subject … Continue reading →]]> Hello teachers,

As promised at the GETed conference, we are starting a new feature at pgEd to help teachers and others keep up with the torrent of news related to genetics and society.  In the past few weeks, the subject of gene patenting has been in the news, as the Supreme Court is hearing arguments about the patents held by Myriad Genetics and deciding if they are legal or not. We have a few articles and links below that provide some history (especially in the 60 minutes clip from 2010) and context for what the issues are before the Supreme Court.

“Patenting Genes” on 60 Minutes – 13 minute clip that argues both sides of the issue.

Nova’s “Are Gene Patents Standing in the Way of Personalized Medicine?” looks at the current case facing the Supreme Court, as well as provides some background on how it got to this point.

The New York Times documents the effort of a researcher trying to re-create what many believe is Myriad’s most valuable resource – the data about their customers and their genetics status. “DNA Project Aims to Make Public Company’s Data on Cancer Genes“.

How does pgEd keep on this particular subject? Check out Genomics Law Report for wide-ranging discussions about many issues around science and the law, and we also like the SCOTUS blog, they do non-technical write ups that we find very helpful!

Go to Map-Ed.org and work your way through five questions about genetics to pin yourself on a world map.  No expertise in genetics necessary!  Questions are multiple-choice, and … Continue reading →]]> pgEd is so excited to launch our newest educational tool – Map-Ed!

Go to Map-Ed.org and work your way through five questions about genetics to pin yourself on a world map.  No expertise in genetics necessary!  Questions are multiple-choice, and you will be provided with fun facts along the way to point you toward the correct answer.  Then, get your friends to play this game and see your neighborhood pinned more densely.

We are planning to add more dimensions and topics as Map-Ed grows, so please check back often to see where in the world this project is taking us!

We are so appreciative to the students and teachers who have tested this for us, to last year’s GETed meeting participants for ideas and encouragement, and to our wonderful technical team. David Bozzi has taken this project to new heights, and we are very grateful for his expertise and creativity.  Thank you to Niall O’Connor, Mick Correll and Dustin Holloway, who at the time were all part of the Dana Farber’s Center for Cancer Computational Biology, for bringing the initial vision to life in our original functional prototype.  

And last but not least: Special thanks to pgEd’s own Marnie Gelbart and Ting Wu who have guided this project along all these many months!