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As we begin the new year, PGED is grateful to our community of educators, scientists, health professionals, faith community leaders, storytellers, funders, and many other interested individuals. Thank you for everything you do to raise awareness and spark conversation about genetic technologies – whether it’s at the dinner table, in a classroom, or any other place where people gather. You inspire us, and you help to expand our impact.
We invite you to reach out to us anytime to share feedback, an idea, or a question. E-mail us at pged@pged.med.harvard.edu.
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PGED AT SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
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Our director, Ting, was a panelist for the Sundance Big Conversations: Breaking Barriers event (February 27th), which celebrated Cristina Constantini’s SALLY, the winner of the 2025 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize. SALLY celebrates science, bravery, love, and commitment.
Check out a video recording of the panel.
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PGED AT THE AAAS MEETING IN BOSTON
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Look for PGED at next month’s American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Boston!
On Friday, February 14th, PGED is involved in two sessions related to the conference theme of Science Shaping Tomorrow. Marnie will present in a workshop on Science Communication and Education at the Intersection of Genetics and Justice (11:30 am -12:30 pm), and Rob has organized an afternoon session with collaborators and colleagues on “Science Engagement with Faith Perspectives in Informal Science Learning” (2:30-3:30 pm).
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POSTPONED:
CULTURE CHANGE IN GENETICS LAUNCH EVENT & COMMUNITY FORUM
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The virtual launch event and community forum for the CC-BRIDGE project, planned for Jan 29th, has been postponed.
As U.S. federal agencies conduct reviews of their funding programs in light of recent Executive Orders, the CC-BRIDGE project team felt it was in the best long-term interest of our community and the planned attendees to reconvene the event when information is more certain.
Stay tuned for details about the rescheduled event.
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PGED’s Community Spotlight series showcases some of the remarkable people we’ve connected with through our mission to expand education and dialogue about genetics, health, and society. You can find all of our current and future Spotlights on our website!
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Trey Lawrence is a junior at Tufts University, studying biology with a minor in political science. Trey was PGED’s first-ever Civic Biology Intern through a unique opportunity in collaboration with the Tufts Civic Biology Fellowship program. Trey spoke with Gill about his passions for research and community involvement on his college campus.
Read Trey’s Community Spotlight
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The development of human traits, including health, is complex. Scientific studies have found that a person’s traits are the result of their genetic makeup, environment, and interactions between these two factors. In other words, nature AND nurture both affect a person’s health. So, how might a person modify these factors to alter the quality of their health? Explore our mini-lesson, “Are My Genes My Destiny? Examining Determinants of Health,” to learn more.
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PERSONAL GENETICS IN THE NEWS
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Article: Drug company to share revenues with Indigenous people who donated their genes (NYT) (gift link). “Variant Bio, based in Seattle, announced a $50 million collaboration with the drugmaker Novo Nordisk to develop drugs for metabolic disorders, including diabetes and obesity, using data collected from Indigenous populations. Variant Bio will distribute a portion of those funds to the communities it worked with in nine countries or territories…and will seek to make any medicines that result from its work available to those communities at an affordable price.”
Article: Studies reveal a new biology of Huntington’s, renewing drugmaker interest in therapies (STAT). “A new study highlights the potential of a therapeutic strategy focused on stopping or slowing Huntington’s disease.”
Article: On meds? You may be able to eat grapefruit again someday (NYT) (gift link). “Scientists have identified a gene that causes the production of a substance in some citrus that interferes with many medications.”
Article: Heritable polygenic editing: the next frontier in genomic medicine? (Nature). “Polygenic genome editing in human embryos and germ cells is predicted to become feasible in the next three decades. Several recent books and academic papers have outlined the ethical concerns raised by germline genome editing and the opportunities that it may present.”
Article: The only person in the world with a functioning pig organ is thriving after a record 2 months (AP). “An Alabama woman is thriving a record 61 days and counting after receiving a pig kidney, a new milestone in the quest for animal-to-human transplants.”
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Are You a Fan of Our Free Resources? PGED expands the dialogue on personal genetics by creating free lesson plans, videos, conversation guides, and more.
Please consider making a gift to PGED to help us keep our resources free.
We are grateful for any contribution you wish to make.
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Please note that 15% of donations pays for overhead which allows us to do the work that we do from our home in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School.
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WANT TO PLAN AN EVENT TOGETHER? LET’S DO IT!
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PGED is always looking for opportunities to engage with new audiences. Would you like to host a group to talk about the implications of personal genetics? What about a professional development workshop for teachers in your district?
We have staff in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Colorado, and Washington, DC – and we are willing to travel when possible. Contact us to find out about scheduling an event in your area!
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Copyright © 2025 PGED, Harvard Medical School. All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
pged@pged.med.harvard.edu
www.pged.org
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