This Week — CBHD Fellow, Gregory W. Rutecki, MD, comments on a recent article addressing antibiotic treatments in a certain elderly population. Dr. Rutecki’s essay is entitled: “Revisiting an Ethical Conundrum: An Older Person’s Friend or a Renewed Assault on the Biologically Tenacious?”

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Employment Opportunities —

Director of Development, CBHD & Bioethics at Trinity (Fulltime):  Position is responsible for developing a strategic plan, performing ongoing analysis and program implementation to achieve the development goals for Trinity's bioethics initiatives. This person will be versatile, able to perform competently in a wide variety of development functions. These functions will include event planning and execution, major gifts, foundation relations, annual fund solicitations, marketing and communications, church relations, and data management. For more information click here.

Quote of the Week —

—Dr. Camillo Ricordi, director of the Cell Transplant Center and the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami, in "Stem Cells From Menstrual Blood Show Therapeutic Potential," GEN, April 14, 2008.

Designing the Genes of Future Generations
May 7, 2008 at 7:30pm
Michelin Theatre, Discovery Centre ,1593 Barrington St.
Halifax, NS

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics Public Lecture 2008: The ranking of values as a basis for ethical decision making
May 7, 2008
The Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace
London SW1Y 5AG
Email: cperkins@nuffieldbioethics.org
Tel: +44 20 7681 9619

Ethical Challenges in Surgical Innovation
May 8-9, 2008
InterContinental Hotel & Bank of America Conference Center
Cleveland, OH
Tel: 216/ 932-3448

5th International Symposium of the Definition of Death Network
May 20-23, 2008
Plaza America Convention Center
Varadero Beach, Cuba

Emerging Issues in Embryo Donation and Adoption
May 29-31, 2008
Marriot Crystal Gateway
Arlington, Virginia

Call for Abstracts: Challenges to Ethical Considerations in Research in the East Mediterranean and Arab Region: Research Subjects, Researchers and Research Ethics Committees Perspectives
Deadline: May 31, 2008
Research Policy and Cooperation Unit
Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, WHO,
Email: rpc@emro.who.int
Tel: +2 02 227 65028 / +2 02 227 65348
Fax: +2 02 227 65421

Dual Uses of Biomedicine: Whose responsibility?
X Annual Swedish Symposium on Biomedicine, Ethics and Society
June 9-10, 2008
Seglarhotellet, Sandhamn
Phone: +46 18 611 22 96
E-mail: crb@crb.uu.se

Stem Cell Research and Commercial Applications: Isolation, Expansion, Therapy, Commercialisation and Manufacturing
June 25-26, 20008
Sheraton Towers Hotel, Singapore
Email: greg.moyle@informa.com
Fax: +65 65143173

The Government Is Trying to Wrap Its Mind Around Yours
Imagine a world of streets lined with video cameras that alert authorities to any suspicious activity. A world where police officers can read the minds of potential criminals and arrest them before they commit any crimes. A world in which a suspect who lies under questioning gets nabbed immediately because his brain has given him away. (Washington Post)

Op-Ed: One day, cloning may be accepted by society
Anyone interested in the fierce debate over the use of animal-human hybrid embryos in scientific research should take a look at a government report published in 2000 by the Chief Medical Officer’s expert group on stem cells. It states that the CMO, Sir Liam Donaldson, and his experts “concluded that the use of eggs from a non-human species to carry a human cell nucleus was not a realistic or desirable solution to the possible lack of human eggs for research or subsequent treatment”. I predict that the same sort of reaction will greet our report today about the possible use of a new cloning technique to treat infertile couples. Many scientists will dismiss the suggestion from Robert Lanza of Advanced Cell Technology that the technique could soon be used as an IVF technique, but one wonders for how long they will object? (Independent)

Monday, April 14, 2008

Leading scientists tell politicians to stop interfering over ethics of embryo research
Politicians have been warned not to block scientific inquiry into subjects such as stem cells and embryo research just because there is a difference of opinion on the ethics or morality of the work. (The Independent)

Head Games: Video Controller Taps into Brain Waves
No matter how hard you try, your mind can’t bend a spoon or channel the powers of a Jedi knight. Thanks to a new headset under development by neuroengineering company Emotiv Systems, however, you may soon be able to do this and more via the magic of video games. (Scientific American)

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

House backs funds ban for stem-cell research
The House quickly signed off Tuesday on legislation that would impose a Louisiana ban on use of public funds for most embryonic stem-cell research. (2theadvocate)

Merck’s Publishing Ethics Are Questioned by Studies
Two medical-journal studies suggest Merck & Co. violated scientific-publishing ethics by ghostwriting dozens of academic articles, and minimized the impact of patient deaths in its analyses of some human trials of a top-selling drug later linked to cardiac problems. (Wall Street Journal)

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

‘Dolly the sheep’ cloner eyeing joint study with iPS cell creator
University Prof. Ian Wilmut would like to undertake joint research on induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells with Kyoto University Prof. Shinya Yamanaka, the creator of the cells, Wilmut said in an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun on Tuesday. (The Daily Yomiuri)

A genome for everyone takes a step closer to reality
The idea of having your personal genetic code unravelled was once a dream reserved for individuals who were fans of science or big on ego — and deep in pocket. But a new technique, described in the Thursday issue of the British journal Nature, has slashed the cost and time of genome sequencing, in an important step towards tailor-made medicine. (AFP)

Thursday, April 17, 2008

U.S. to Expand Collection Of Crime Suspects’ DNA
The U.S. government will soon begin collecting DNA samples from all citizens arrested in connection with any federal crime and from many immigrants detained by federal authorities, adding genetic identifiers from more than 1 million individuals a year to the swiftly growing federal law enforcement DNA database. (Washington Post)

Feds Back Stem Cell Surgery for Vets
$85 Million Federal Grant Announced for Orthopaedic Stem Cell Surgery Using Patients’ Own Cells. (ABC)

Friday, April 18, 2008

Each week the top news stories, as determined by the staff at The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity are sent out via email.

[Note: News stories, Quote of the Week, and events do not represent the Center's views. For additional commentary on many of the issues they raise, please see the CBHD web site at www.cbhd.org.]

Please visit http://www.bioethics.com for daily posts on bioethics news and issues.