Asbury, Kathryn orcid.org/0000-0003-0011-457X, McBride, Tom and Bawn, Rosie (2022) Can genomic research make a useful contribution to social policy? Royal Society Open Science. 220873. ISSN 2054-5703
Abstract
As genetic research into outcomes beyond health gathers pace, largely through the use of genome-wide association studies, interest from policy-makers has grown. In the last year, two UK reports have explored the policy implications of genomic research, one from the UK Government Office for Science and one from the Early Intervention Foundation. In this article, we explore areas of consensus between these two reports and use them to propose priorities for policy-makers as we prepare for what some have termed a 'genetic revolution'. Both reports agree on two clear recommendations for science and policy communities. One of these relates to public education and engagement, and the other to ensuring that genomic databases are ancestrally diverse. Both reports agree that-even if it is found to be a viable and ethical idea in the medium-term future-DNA data should not be incorporated into social policy before these two issues have been comprehensively addressed. In the article, we argue that scientists are taking the lead on tackling the diversity deficit but that there is a clear role for policy-makers to play in addressing low genetic literacy in society, and that this is a matter of urgency.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 The Authors. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Social Sciences (York) > Education (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 03 Jan 2023 15:40 |
Last Modified: | 29 Mar 2025 00:10 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.220873 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1098/rsos.220873 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:194850 |