October 2026 Newsletter

Elite athletes can offer a remarkable window into human biology, pushing the body to its limits and raising big questions about health and performance. But genetics in sports is about more than what science can reveal. It also touches people’s lives and communities, bringing questions of privacy, fairness, equity, and human dignity into sharp focus. That’s why, on October 28, PGED brought together people who don’t often find themselves in the same conversation: athletes, storytellers, researchers, educators, coaches, health professionals, business leaders, and community leaders. 

The day was shaped by table conversations, presentations, and questions. The program featured early-career and senior researchers, including Dr. Elaine Lee (UConn) and Dr. George Church (HMS), alongside athletes and sports leaders whose experience spans the NBA, NCAA, NFL, NHL, Paralympics, and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Participants asked about the scientific possibilities as well as what genetic advances could mean in practice for athletes and their communities. Discussion grounded the day in personal stories and issues of equity in health and research. 

By the end of the day, new connections were seeded, bridging people and professions rarely in the same room. We’re excited to see what carries forward as worlds of possibility open up to shape the future of genetics.

We are grateful for opportunities to celebrate the people and partnerships who share our mission to bring conversations about genetics, health, and society into our communities.

In a recent Trends in Genetics article, Richard Randolph reflects on a conference about genetics and spirituality, organized with PGED and colleagues at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The gathering brought together people with a wide range of scientific, professional, and spiritual perspectives to talk about CRISPR and its broader implications.

Richard shares six takeaways for creating welcoming, thoughtful conversations, from making space for diverse voices to leaving plenty of time for discussion. We’re grateful to Richard, Maurice Godfrey, Regina Idoate, Rob O’Malley, Morgan Price, and everyone who helped make this collaboration and conference possible. Thank you for creating space for people to learn from one another and explore these important questions together.

Here are some of the articles we’ve been reading this month.

Article: Claude analyzed my genome in 30 minutes. Now we need standards for the results (STAT). “A physician-scientist describes using Claude to analyze his genome and argues that clear standards are needed to ensure AI-assisted genetic interpretations are accurate, reliable, and useful for health decisions.”

Article: DNA From Water Bottle Leads to Arrest in Decades-Old Murder Case (The New York Times). “Rhode Island investigators say DNA from a discarded water bottle helped identify a suspect in the 1985 killing of Hillary Hellewell, leading to an arrest in the decades-old case.” 

Article: Big dogs age faster than little ones — rogue ‘jumping genes’ might be to blame (Nature). “A study of nearly 900 dogs across roughly 120 breeds links faster aging in larger dogs to changes in the epigenome, including the activity of mobile ‘jumping genes.’”

Article: A first for CRISPR: powerful prime editing alters DNA directly in the human body (Nature). “A clinical trial has used prime editing to alter DNA inside a person’s body for the first time, aiming to treat Wilson’s disease by correcting a mutation in liver cells. The approach is promising, though its safety and effectiveness are still being studied.”

Article: How to Lower Your Alzheimer’s Risk if You Have the APOE4 Gene Variant (The New York Times). “Researchers are exploring why some people with the APOE4 variant do not develop Alzheimer’s, and what those discoveries might reveal about ways to reduce risk.”

Article: Pennsylvania Dutch country, tired of waiting for biopharma, builds drug company of its own (STAT). “A rural doctor and community partners developed gene therapy that saved a calf with maple syrup urine disease—a condition affecting some Mennonite families—but the treatment has not yet reached the patients who need it.”

Note: Views expressed in shared articles are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect the views of our organization.

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