Tag: biotechnology
Blog Posts (19)
May 15, 2013
Emergent Dualism and the Sanctity of Human Life
My wife and I spent May 10-11 at the annual conference of Biola’s Center for Christian Thought (CCT), where the theme for 2012-2013 has been “Neuroscience and the Soul.” The plenary talks are not all on the web, yet, although some are on Facebo...May 8, 2013
IVF Parents Lose $10m Wrongful Birth Case, Hit With Legal Costs
[The Sydney Morning Herald] The parents of a severely disabled boy have lost a $10 million case against an IVF specialist who failed to properly warn them of the likelihood their son would inherit a blood-clotting condition, but are considering appeali...May 3, 2013
Figures don’t lie, but pharmaceutical manufacturers figure
On April 19th, the Office of Fair Trading, a UK consumer-watchdog agency, accused GlaxoSmithKline of delaying competition with its antidepressant drug paroxetine (Brand name Paxil in the US, Seroxat in the UK) by paying generic manufacturers to delay m...April 25, 2013
Gene Patents: A Hindrance to Innovation?
[Guardian] Scientists researching diseases such as cancer are impeded by having to pay companies who own specific gene patents. You carry a set of instructions in every cell, encrypted in DNA. Your genome, 3 billion letters of genetic code, is not on...April 16, 2013
Human genome: US Supreme Court hears patents case
[BBC News] The case relates to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in 2009, and centres on whether companies should be able to patent genes. US authorities have been awarding patents on genes to universities and medical companies for ...April 12, 2013
A funny thing happened on the way to the ICU . . .
In the latter half of the last century, medical technology made huge leaps in the ability to sustain biological function. Suddenly we could replace lost kidney function and keep lungs breathing and hearts pumping for people who, but a short time before...April 1, 2013
On (Being) “Better than Human” — Part 2
I ended my last post by identifying what I take to be an important methodological issue with Allen Buchanan’s pro-enhancement argument in his recent (2011) book entitled Better than Human: The Promise and Perils of Enhancing Ourselves. I want pick up...March 28, 2013
How Much Monitoring Is Too Much?
[Scientific American] It started in the ‘70s. A pregnant woman with diabetes faced a deeply entrenched medical routine: months in hospital having her blood glucose closely monitored. She managed to stay out by convincing her doctor, Clara Lowy, to le...March 27, 2013
Three Stem Cell Developments
The news this past week carried three reports related to developments in stem cell research. Briefly, starting with the farfetched and ending with the “nearfetched”: First, the Wall Street Journal reported on efforts to “grow” human organs in...March 26, 2013
On (Being) “Better Than Human” — Part 1
Recent posts have called for reflection on the “ends” of medicine. Though not directly addressed to the specific questions raised in those posts, this series will touch on related themes and so will be relevant to that larger discussion. With that ...Published Articles (5)
American Journal of Bioethics: Volume 11 Issue 1 - Jan 2011
?Doctor, Would You Prescribe a Pill to Help Me ? ?? A National Survey of Physicians on Using Medicine for Human Enhancement Timothy Hotze
American Journal of Bioethics: Volume 8 Issue 6 - Jun 2008
Review of C. B. Mitchell, E. D. Pellegrino, J. B. Elshtain, J. F. Kilner, and S. B. Rae. Biotechnology and the Human Good Lauris Kaldjian
American Journal of Bioethics: Volume 8 Issue 6 - Jun 2008
Response to Open Peer Commentaries on Justifying a Presumption of Restraint in Animal Biotechnology Research Autumn Fiester
American Journal of Bioethics: Volume 8 Issue 6 - Jun 2008
Justifying a Presumption of Restraint in Animal Biotechnology Research Autumn Fiester
American Journal of Bioethics: Volume 7 Issue 10 - Oct 2007
Biotechnology and the New Right: Neoconservatism's Red Menace Jonathan D. Moreno
Resources (11)
GeneRef.com
Provides a portal of genetic news on various topics.
Genetic Interest Group
Genetic Interest Group is an alliance of organizations in the U.K. that supports people affected by genetic disorders
Blazing a Genetic Trail
Howard Hughes Medical Institute's ?Blazing a Genetic Trail?
Pharmacogenomics - Human Genome Project Information
Answers some questions about pharmacogenomics.
Cytogenetics Gallery
Cytogenetics Gallery is a collection of pictures of chromosomes and chromosome abnormalities
International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations
International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations (IFPMA) represents the worldwide research-based pharmaceutical industry and manufacturers of prescription medicines generally. This site gives more information about the background and mission of the IFPMA.
From Test Tube To Patient
?From Test Tube To Patient: Improving Health Through Human Drugs? is a special report provided by the Food and Drug Administration that explains the role of clinical trials in the drug development process.
Access Excellence
Access Excellence About Biotech provides a site on the ethics of biotechnology with links to articles on social practices and policies.
News (2)
November 13, 2012 5:29 pm
Injectable Sponge Delivers Drugs, Cells, and Structure (R&D)
Bioengineers at Harvard have developed a gel-based sponge that can be molded to any shape, loaded with drugs or stem cells, compressed to a fraction of its size, and delivered via injection. Once inside the body, it pops back to its original shape and gradually releases its cargo, before safely degrading.
July 3, 2012 5:13 pm
A Surgical Implant for Seeing Colors Through Sound (The New York Times)
In his discussions with the hospital bioethics committee, Mr. Harbisson argued that this surgical technique could be used on other people. He said in particular that more sophisticated versions of the sensor could be used for reading, perhaps reducing the need for Braille.