HGM 2011 - Dubai, UAE

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Ruth Chadwick

Title: IMAGINED FUTURES: CAPTURING THE BENEFITS OF GENOME SEQUENCING FOR SOCIETY

In the light of rapid advances in sequencing technology it is critical to explore the pathways by which the potential applications could be taken up by society. Ruth Chadwick and Edison Liu obtained generous sponsorship from the Brocher Foundation, Geneva, to bring together a Working Group to write the paper, in December 2010, including expertise from scientific, clinical, social and legal domains. The group‘s remit was not to investigate every possible use, misuse or application of genomic sequencing, e.g. in the context of criminal justice or behavior modification. The goal was to identify a number of specific ?imagined futures‘ for how the technologies could be used for public good. The Writing Group identified its purpose and commitments in this paper as follows: to focus on clinical utility of sequencing technology, identifying pathways to translation and what would be the requirements for travelling along those pathways with a commitment to delivering scientifically and socially robust technology for the public good.
For example, what might be needed in the form of oversight? The group had regard to the uncertainty that accompanies the societal uptake of any technology and the impossibility of predicting the future. This uncertainty applies not only to scientific and technological developments themselves but also to future developments in mechanisms of oversight, ethics and regulation.
The group identified three imagined futures to explore: clinical indications for whole genome sequencing (WGS); cancer genomics in diagnosis and theranostics; and microbial genomics and metagenomics. This presentation will outline the main conclusions and recommendations of the group.

Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Award for Medical Science

Human Genome Organisation

Centre for Arab Genomic Studies