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Home > News and events > Press Releases > Genetic Engineering |
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Utopian Dream or Eugenic Nightmare?Monday 12 January 2004 Event: Genetic Engineering: Utopian Dream or Eugenic Nightmare?
- Inaugural Lecture Almost every day, newspapers and other media contain stories about either the triumphs or the dangers of genetics and molecular biology. From reading these stories, one may be left confused about whether such techniques are likely to provide the means of curing a wide variety of diseases, or create Frankenstein-like monsters. In his inaugural lecture, Professor David Latchman will consider the use of gene therapy to treat particular cells or organs within a patient, so as to cure their genetic disease, or to provide symptomatic treatment for other diseases such as cancer or Parkinson's disease. The lecture will describe how this type of treatment has emerged from other forms of therapy - which are generally accepted by the public - and how therefore this form of therapy does not pose any significant ethical problems. Professor Latchman will also consider how such therapy might be achieved, using results from his own laboratory on Herpes virus vectors as a gene delivery tool, as well as discussing the types of diseases to which this form of therapy could be applied. The final part of the lecture will consider the much more difficult topic of germ-line gene therapy. Professor Latchman will outline how it may be possible in the future to do gene therapy in such a way that the additional gene is passed on to the offspring of the affected individual, thereby ensuring that the offspring also do not suffer from the genetic or other disease. Although not yet currently feasible for safety and other reasons, Professor Latchman believes it is important to consider whether this type of treatment would be ethically acceptable. In conclusion, he will look at the relationship between this form of therapy and past proposals for eugenic improvement of the human population. Professor Latchman explains: "Ultimately, the decision about whether these techniques should be carried out or not requires an informed discussion between scientists and the public. This discussion should be conducted, at least in part, via an informed media. The dissemination of up-to-date information about such an important issue of the day is, of course, entirely in accordance with the mission of Birkbeck and the vision of its founder, Dr George Birkbeck." This event is free of charge but early booking is advised. To reserve a place, please email events@bbk.ac.uk or call Ruth Clydesdale on 020 7631 6571. Media contact: EDITOR'S NOTES David S Latchman, Professor of Genetics and Master of Birkbeck, University of London: Born in 1956, Professor Latchman obtained a BA with first class honours in Natural Sciences, specialising in genetics, from the University of Cambridge in 1978 and was awarded a PhD in 1981 from Queens' College, University of Cambridge for a thesis entitled "Control of Alpha-fetoprotein gene expression in the mouse". Following a three-year period as a post-doctoral research fellow in the Department of Biochemistry at Imperial College London, he was appointed Lecturer in Molecular Genetics in the Department of Biology at University College London. In 1988 he joined the UCL Department of Biochemistry and became Director of the Medical Molecular Biology Unit and, in 1990, Reader in Molecular Biology. In 1991 he became Head of the Department of Chemical Pathology (a Department of the Medical School) and Head of the Division of Molecular Pathology, which included both the Department of Chemical Pathology and the Medical Molecular Biology Unit. In1995 Professor Latchman became Chairman of the Division of Pathology and Infectious Diseases, which included a number of Pathology Departments. In 1996 these were brought together in the Windeyer Institute of Medical Sciences, of which he became Director. During this time he also became Deputy Head of the UCL Graduate School and Chairman of the Graduate School Strategy Committee, which introduced Interdisciplinary Scholarships for PhD students and created a number of Graduate School Research Scholarships for all disciplines. In 1999 he was appointed to the established Chair of Human Genetics at UCL and became Dean of the Institute of Child Health - where he managed an annual turnover of £35 million and helped the Institute achieve a research rating of 5* in the 2002 Research Assessment Exercise, denoting research of international excellence. He has a track record as a fundraiser, having raised over £9 million at the Institute of Child Health and also has significant experience of the commercial exploitation of intellectual property, having obtained Venture Capital funding to found a company called BioVex Ltd on the basis of patents developed by his laboratory. On the basis of his scientific research, Professor Latchman was awarded a DSc by the University of London in 1994, and was appointed a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath) in 1999. He is a member of the Advisory Boards for the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Biological Standards. Professor Latchman serves on a number of committees, including the Department of Health, Genetics and Insurance Committee, the National Biological Standards Board and its Scientific Policy Advisory Committee, which he chairs, the Health Protection Agency and the Research Strategy Committee of the Higher Education Funding Council for England. He is also Chairman of the London Ideas Genetics Knowledge Park, Founder and Non-Executive Director of BioVex Ltd and Vice-Chairman of the Parkinson's Disease Society Medical Advisory Panel. He has published extensively in the field of genetics and molecular biology and has continued to pursue a high level of research activity in addition to his management responsibilities. As Master of Birkbeck since 1 January 2003, Professor Latchman spearheads the College's continued drive to widen participation in higher education and further develop Birkbeck as a centre of international excellence for research and teaching. Birkbeck, University of London: As the country's leading provider of face-to-face part-time higher education, Birkbeck is a unique institution, combining international-quality research with its special teaching mission to meet the needs of part-time students. Almost 70% of Birkbeck's research is rated as being of international excellence. English, History and Spanish received the maximum five-star ranking in the Research Assessment Exercise, indicating research of the highest possible international quality. Crystallography, Earth Sciences, Economics, German, History of Art, Law, Philosophy, Politics and Psychology all received a rating of five, denoting significant international importance. 91% of Birkbeck academics are active in research - this is the highest rate for any multi-faculty institution in London and the fifth highest in the UK. This research feeds directly into curriculum development, which means students benefit from being taught by staff who are internationally recognised as being at the cutting edge in their subjects. While all undergraduate teaching takes place in the evening, Birkbeck also offers Masters and Doctoral programmes on a part-time and full-time basis. Birkbeck has been constantly awarded top marks in the Teaching Quality Assessment Reviews, with Economics, English, History of Art, Molecular Biosciences, Organismal Biosciences, Politics and Psychology judged as excellent or scoring 22 points or more. Most Birkbeck students are aged between 25 and 45, with one in four
coming from an ethnic minority. 14% of undergraduates have no formal
qualifications when they enrol. This mix of ages, backgrounds and occupations
results in dynamic class discussions, the widening of horizons and
a truly cosmopolitan London experience. |
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| Last updated: 12 January 2004 |
Maintainer: Catherine
Doherty
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