A night session presentation on HONF open lab

Saturday, 21st May 2011 : 07.00PM
by Dr. Robert James

Molecular solutions for ethical human enhancement through genetic engineering.

Emerging biotechnologies promise to turn the idea of eradicating genetic disorders into a reality, but ethical issues related to consent and eugenics appear to preclude the option of ‘human enhancement’.  However, by combining existing technologies, such as IVF, artificial chromosomes, and the Cre/LoxP recombination system, a strategy for enhancing the genome of your child without taking away their right to consent, and without altering the genetic make-up of future generations, is conceived.

Will mankind be allowed a moment to ponder the question: to Cre or not to Cre, or does the absence of an ethical safety net mean that the emergence of genetically enhanced humans is already an inevitability?

Dr Rob James

Rob obtained his PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from University College London in 2007 and has held positions at the Wellcome Trust and Royal College of Art in London.
Rob has been working as a teacher, researcher and wildlife conservationist in Latin America and Australia for the last two years, and recently completed a residency at SymbioticA, UWA.