March 9, 1998
FOR RELEASE: Immediately
CONTACT:
Rick Blount
802-656-2005
or
Stephen Mills/Mike Noble 802-656-2886
VERMONTERS TO TAKE "TOWN MEETING" APPROACH TO THORNY GENETIC QUESTIONS
A new federal grant will fund a series of town meetings and other forums expected to make Vermont the first state in the nation to hold a statewide discussion of concerns about genetic breakthroughs. Organized by the University of Vermont (UVM) College of Medicine and slated to start this spring, the special meetings will seek broad input on the ethical and legal questions raised by scientific advances in areas such as genetic testing for hereditary diseases, human cloning and gene patenting.
The three-year, $579,245 grant funds the Community Genetics and Ethics Project (CGEP), directed by Alan Guttmacher, M.D., a medical geneticist at the UVM College of Medicine and Fletcher Allen Health Care. The project is part of a broader effort called the Vermont Human Genetics Initiative (VHGI), launched at UVM in 1995.
The new project begins in May with a retreat for clergy. Before the project ends, Guttmacher will have conducted 10 such retreats, 10 town-meeting style forums and numerous discussion groups giving voice to health care providers, health insurers, legislators, educators, social workers, business leaders, the media and other citizens.
Funding for the grant comes from the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) program at the National Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health. Guttmacher received official notification of the grant during the first week of March, when Vermonters traditionally gather in halls around the state to conduct local government in town meetings.
"What an appropriate time to begin a project that will make Vermont the first state in the nation to engage a wide spectrum of the community in a discussion of 'the new genetics'." Guttmacher said.
He continued: "Arming our society with the information and background necessary to come to grips with this new technology is a daunting but crucial task if we are to harness this powerful tool for the benefit, rather than harm, of society. The good news is that the real impact of the new genetics is yet to be felt, so we have time to prepare. The sobering news is that it may not be very much time."
Vermont is a natural site to begin such a discussion not just because of its town-meeting tradition, but also because UVM has been on the front lines of genetic research. For example, two of the genes implicated in the development of colon cancer -- MSH2 and MLH1 -- were identified in part at UVM's Markey Center for Molecular Genetics. Other UVM researchers have been involved in genetic breakthroughs in areas such as blood clotting and cancer of the eye. -30-
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