Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 29, 1992                   TAG: 9203300188
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: F-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DORIS T. ZALLEN
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

HUMAN GENOME PROJECT

The results were easy to tabulate: No one knew anything about it at all.

The Human Genome Project is a 15-year, $3-billion scientific effort recently begun by two federal agencies, the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. Its goal is to locate on each chromosome the position of every one of the approximately 100,000 human genes and also to determine the precise chemical structure of each gene.

If the Human Genome Project is successful, a treasure trove of genetic data will be obtained that will guide biological research well into the 21st century. Scientists will have a precise gene "map" that will serve as an invaluable guide in determining how human genes function, what happens when they malfunction, and how complex creatures like ourselves can develop from a single fertilized egg cell.

There is also the promise of dramatic new medical interventions. We will abe able to learn about the genes that may lead to genetic disorders in our children, or that predispose us to health problems such as cancer or Alzheimer's disease. Techniques such as gene therapy may allow a malfunctioning gene to be replaced with one that works normally, thus correcting a serious health problem.

But if the Human Genome Project is successful, difficult ethi- Editor's note: A one-day public-education forum on the Human Genome Project, part of the Choices and Challenges series directed by Doris T. Zallen, will be held April 9 at Virginia Tech. More information on the forum is available by calling (703) 231-6551. cal, economic, political and societal questions will also be raised.

Should governments or insurance companies have access to personal genetic information that might reveal behavioral tendencies or later health problems?

Can genetic information about allergies or sensitivity to work place chemicals be required as a condition of employment?

What sort of medical interventions are acceptable? Should we be able, through some forms of gene therapy, to alter generations yet unborn? Do we want to go beyond medical treatment and enable parents to select the qualities they prefer in their children and use gene therapy to bring these about?

Should commercial interests be able to obtain a patent on a genetic sequence?

And, in these economically difficult times, is this the best way to spend our scarce research dollars?

These are complex questions that go beyond the scientific arena and demand thoughtful input from all of us.

In recent years, scientists and those making policies based on scientific data have become more responsive to public scrutiny and comment. This type of partnership can work only if those outside the scientific community take their role in the collaboration seriously.

Many newspaper articles, magazine articles, books, and television programs are available that focus on the Human Genome Project. There is a free one-day public education forum on just this topic at Virginia Tech April 9. All of us must become better informed so that, as individuals and as citizens, we can work together to make the wisest use of the genetic harvest.

I hope that, when I next conduct my poll, the results will reveal that this process of self-education is taking place.

Doris T. Zallen is associate professor of science studies and humanities at Virginia Tech, and serves on the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee of the National Institutes of Health.

Editor's Note: A one-day public education forum on the Human Genome Project, part of the Choices and Challenges series directed by Doris T. Zallen, will be held April 9 at Virginia Tech. More information on the forum is available by caling (703) 231-6551.