North Carolina is in the final stages of preparing to pay 10 million dollars in reparations to people who were victims of their state-sponsored sterilization program. The deadline to file for a payment, if you are a victim, is June 30, 2014. Payments are set to begin a year from now, in June 2015. An overview of the latest developments is here, information about filing a claim is here, and pgEd’s lesson plan that looks at the history of the American Eugenics Movement, with an emphasis on the situation in North Carolina, is found on our Lesson Plan page.
In the News
pgEd will be holding a 2-day workshop at Harvard Medical School in Boston on July 11-12. Teachers, click below to register!
pgEd Summer Institute: Genetics and Social Justice - Boston
eventbrite.com
This two-day interdisciplinary workshop will explore issues of social justice and the ethical, legal and social implications of genetics. pgEd creates interactive lessons that engage students in disc...Posted by pgEd 2 months ago
This summer, pgEd will be holding a three-day professional development workshop at Brockton High School in Brockton, MA, on June 27-29. Spots are still open, click below to learn more and sign up!
pgEd Summer Institute: Genetics and Social Justice - Brockton
eventbrite.com
pgEd is thrilled to hold our three-day Summer Institute: Genetics and Social Justice at Brockton High School in Brockton, MA. Educator Stipend: $200 Earn 18 Professional Developm...Posted by pgEd 2 months ago
A tribute to the many ways in which the cells taken from Henrietta Lacks have contributed to biological research and medicine.
5 important ways Henrietta Lacks changed medical science
statnews.com
Lacks's cells survived, thrived, and multiplied outside her body, so much so that they have been in continual use in labs around the world for 65 years.Posted by pgEd 2 months ago
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the genetic testing company 23andMe to market, directly to consumer, tests that provide information about genetic predisposition to 10 conditions, including Parkinson's and late-onset Alzheimer's. The agency also set out a streamlined mechanism for this and other companies to get similar genetic tests approved in the future. However, the FDA cautions that such information about genetic risk does not indicate whether an individual will actually develop the condition, because the overall risk is also affected by a variety of lifestyle and environmental factors. The agency is also not currently approving the marketing of "diagnostic" tests, such as those for genetic variants in BRCA1 and 2, that "are often used as the sole basis for major treatment decisions".
FDA approves simple genetic tests for risk of Alzheimer's
statnews.com
Patients can now get information about their genetic risk for diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's through tests from companies like 23andMe.Posted by pgEd 3 months ago
As a team of scientists makes plans to develop genetically modified mosquitoes and release them in a remote village in Africa to tackle malaria, the researchers are grappling with how to meaningfully engage the local community, and to gain their trust and acceptance for moving the project forward.
Gene drives could halt malaria in West Africa — if residents agree to it
statnews.com
Genetically engineered mosquitoes could ease the burden of malaria — but first scientists have to ensure that people understand and accept the technology.Posted by pgEd 3 months ago