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Dna In The Courtroom: The 21st Century Begins, James T. Griffith, Susan L. Leclair

University of Massachusetts Law Review

DNA is one of the most significant discoveries in the field of forensic evidence yet it remains underutilized in the courtroom setting. This article provides an introduction to the scientific principles, structure and composition of DNA in an effort to make DNA more accessible to the judicial process.

Determining The Role Of Dnttip1: Piecing Together The Callipyge Sheep Muscle Hypertrophy Pathway, Kimberly Lutz

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

Callipyge sheep have muscle hypertrophy in their loin and pelvic limbs due to a mutation in the DLK1-DIO3 imprinted gene cluster, which results in a 30–40% increase in muscle mass without altering live weight. There is also a change in the myosin gene expression causing an increase in fast twitch glycolytic fibers. Previous gene expression studies have shown that DNTTIP1 (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase interacting protein 1) is up-regulated in the callipyge muscle. DNTTIP1 is a transcription factor, meaning it binds to a specific DNA sequence to control the amount of mRNA produced. DNTTIP1 may regulate other genes, ultimately leading to …

Safeguarding Genetic Privacy, Anna-Marie Struble, Emily Valji, Jennifer Lilly

CedarEthics: A Journal of Critical Thinking in Bioethics

Since the completion in 2003 of the Human Genome Project’s initial goal to map all the genes and discover the complete nucleotide sequence in the human genome, opportunities for many significant medical advances have opened up to us, including gene therapies for various genetically-linked medical disorders, the ability to create “custom-made” drugs, and early, reliable diagnosis of genetic predispositions to disease. Genetic testing, the inspection of a person’s DNA to identify mutated sequences, is medically relevant for individuals. However, along with the undeniable benefits this knowledge brings, serious questions have arisen concerning how this knowledge should be handled to protect …

A Kantian Ethical Analysis Of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis, Emily Delk

CedarEthics: A Journal of Critical Thinking in Bioethics

In an era where new genetic and reproductive technologies are increasing, ethical concerns continue to grow as well. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is a technique used in addition to in vitro fertilization (IVF) to screen embryos for genetic abnormalities and either discard them or place them in the uterus. The emergence of new uses for PGD has made PGD a frequent target of ethical commentary and speculation about a future of greatly increased genetic selection and manipulation of offspring (Robertson, 2003). Although PGD is not currently widespread, its potential for abuse signifies a need for serious ethical analysis. Immanuel Kant …

Genetics, Race And Substantive Due Process, Christian B. Sundquist

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

After Myriad: Reconsidering The Incentives For Innovation In The Biotech Industry, Daniel K. Yarbrough

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

35 U.S.C. § 101 allows a patent for “any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof.” Recently, the Supreme Court issued several key decisions affecting the doctrine of patentable subject matter under § 101. Starting with Bilski v. Kappos (2011), and continuing with Mayo Collaborative Services, Inc. v. Prometheus Laboratories (2012), Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics (2013) and, most recently, Alice Corporation Pty. Ltd. v. CLS Bank International (2014), every year has brought another major change to the way in which the Court assesses patentability. In Myriad, the …

Fighting The Establishment: The Need For Procedural Reform Of Our Paternity Laws, Caroline Rogus

Michigan Journal of Gender & Law

Every state and the District of Columbia use voluntary acknowledgments of paternity. Created pursuant to federal law, the acknowledgment is signed by the purported biological parents and establishes paternity without requiring court involvement. Intended to be a “simple civil process” to establish paternity where the parents are unmarried, the acknowledgment is used by state governments to expedite child support litigation. But federal policy and state laws governing the acknowledgments do not sufficiently protect the interests of those men who have signed acknowledgments and who subsequently discover that they lack genetic ties to the children in question. A signatory who learns …

Meaningful Ethical Encounters:The Lived Experience Of The Genetics Nurse, Elizabeth A. Tinnon

Journal of Health Ethics

Meaningful Ethical Encounters: The Lived Experience of the Genetics Nurse

Abstract

Discoveries of the Human Genome Project, while beneficial to improving health, are accompanied by new and unique ethical concerns. The aim of this study was to describe and gain an understanding of the lived experience of genetics nurses as it relates to encountered ethical concerns. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach using van Manen’s thematic analysis was the method for this investigation. A sample of eight genetics nurses participated in the study. Seven essential themes emerged from the texts: (a) caring over time, (b) shared pain and suffering, (c) my job …