Life, Science and Health: The Genetics Revolution - New York State Department of Health
Albany, April 7, 1999 – The Department of Health today announced that during the month of April and May, scientists from the Department will be participating in a lecture series on Genetics. Genetics promises to revolutionize medicine, with genetic testing, gene therapy and more. Scientists who speak plain language will explain the basics of DNA's double helix and elaborate on the relationship between genes and health at six public lectures beginning Thursday, April 22 at 7 p.m. at the David Axelrod Institute, 120 New Scotland Ave., Albany. These fact–filled, user–friendly talks are presented by scientists from the Wadsworth Center, the Department's public health research laboratories. Life, Science and Health: The Genetics Revolution will cover the basics and beyond. In lively language, with plenty of opportunities to answer questions, the speakers will lead participants on a genetic journey from Gregor Mendel's early insights on the nature of inheritance to the near millennium's molecular level explorations of the human genetic blueprint.
The audience will learn to distinguish DNA, genes, and chromosomes and to appreciate the laboratory technologies that make deciphering the genetic code possible. They will discover what fruit flies and worms contribute to genetics research, and get a firsthand look at how human disease genes are found. They will hear how genetic testing and gene therapy work, and will consider the ethical and legal implications of the explosion of personal genetic information.
The speakers and topics are:
April 22 - The ABCs of DNA: How to Read the Genetic Alphabet, with Victoria Derbyshire, Ph.D.
April 29 - Gene Hunting in the Brain: Unearthing the Roots of a Family Tree, with Joseph Higgins, M.D.
May 6 - Gene Testing and Gene Therapy: Promises and Perils, with Anne Messer, Ph.D.
May 13 - Genes, Behavior and Personality: Nature or Nurture?, with Lorraine Flaherty, Ph.D.
May 20 - A Gene Is a Gene Is a Gene: Model Organisms and Human Health, with Robert Glaser, Ph.D.
May 27 - Ethical, Legal and Social Issues: A Genetic Pandora's Box?, with Ann Willey, Ph.D.
Hosting the series will be Kenneth Pass, Ph.D., of Wadsworth Center's Division of Genetics. These lectures are an initiative of Wadsworth's Education and Outreach Office, which coordinates graduate level through pre–college activities, as well as programs for state–licensed laboratory personnel and the general public.
Registration is required for the lectures, and seating is limited. For further information, call (518) 474–6196.
4/7/99–30 OPA
