The accelerated world of medical research promises new diagnostic tools and treatments for Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and even cancer. These advances, however, raise a daunting array of ethical issues.
Enter Bartha Maria Knoppers, the recently appointed director of McGill’s new Centre of Genomics and Policy.
The accelerated world of medical research promises new
diagnostic tools and treatments for Parkinson’s disease, multiple
sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and even cancer. These advances,
however, raise a daunting array of ethical issues.
Enter Bartha Maria Knoppers, the recently appointed director of
McGill’s new Centre of Genomics and Policy. Knoppers is a world-
renowned bioethicist whose work recently earned her a Distinguished
Visiting Scientist Stipend from the Netherlands Genomics
Initiative. At the McGill centre, Knoppers leads a research team
that tackles issues ranging from stem cell controversies to privacy
concerns surrounding our individual genetic and genomic makeup. The
aim is to promote good science and responsible research, while
educating the public along the way.
The centre is located within the McGill University and Genome
Quebec Innovation Centre, placing it at the heart of the genomic
action. “It’s important in the development of policy to be
surrounded by the very scientists and fields of science in which
you’re working,” says Knoppers.