Stanford University has joined the University of California Berkeley in inviting incoming students to participate in personal genetic testing.

According to an article in last week’s Scientific American, major ethical considerations are raised when students are given the opportunity to study their genotype: coercion, privacy, and adequately [...] Read more

by Julie Herman, website and social media coordinator, and Emily Butler, content coordinator

Scientists claim a new vaccine currently in mice trials could potentially eliminate breast cancer in women. An article in yesterday’s Business Week explains that a vaccine was able to prevent tumor growth in a population of mice genetically engineered to be at a high risk of developing the disease.

"We could eliminate breast cancer," say the study’s authors, who are based at the Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute, "if [the vaccine] works in humans the way it works in mice." The authors also added that women [...] Read more

A group of well-known scientists in Rockville, MD, have succeeded in transplanting synthetic bacterial DNA into a host cell. This landmark discovery presents several ethical implications for the field, as it advances the capacity for scientists to create life from nonliving material.

This morning’s BBC News Read more

by Emily Butler, content coordinator

Aside from some temporary discomfort, most people would agree that drawing blood does not carry major physical or psychological risks. But what if a blood sample is used to tell personal stories about an individual, or about a community? What if DNA research reveals deeply personal information such as mental illness, inbreeding, [...] Read more

by Emily Butler, content coordinator

In a new twist on the traditional progression of pharmaceutical research, a cancer researcher is testing novel therapies in humans and animals at the same time.

An article [...] Read more