By LINDSAY PALMER AND ROGER BRYNER
BYU students who traded their DNA for $10 in recent weeks may not have known there is an international discussion about the ethical issues involved in DNA research.
As of Tuesday evening, March 27, about 1,300 students had given their blood for the Molecular Genealogy Study, directed by Scott Woodward, BYU microbiology professor.
According to Woodward, the goal of the study is to identify major populations of genealogical interest and create a molecular database that could identify the origins of individual genetic markers.
Woodward said he hopes to take 100,000 DNA samples during the course of his six-year study. He plans to get 4,000-5,000 of those samples from BYU students.
In general, ethical issues concerning DNA research involve the privacy and confidentiality of genetic information and the possible misuse of DNA samples.
Mike Bamshad, a geneticist at the University of Utah, said a lot of ethical issues are raised when dealing with DNA. He said the concern is so strong that 5 percent of the funding for an international research program involving DNA, called the Human Genome Project, is used for research dealing specifically with ethical issues.
“The ethical concerns are about the perceived risks to individuals and populations,” Bamshad said. “For instance, some ethnic groups, like Ashkenazi Jews, have perceived that they could be stigmatized by being associated consistently with different genetic disorders.
“Additionally, workplaces and insurance companies both have the potential to misuse genetic information.”
Because of these concerns, some people react negatively to genetic studies.
“Those are pretty knee-jerk reactions that happen when the whole genome is used,” said Alan Harker, BYU microbiology professor and chair of BYU’s Institutional BioSafety Committee.
BYU professors familiar with Woodward’s study said it will not deal with in-depth genetic information that could later be misused to discriminate against participants.
Richard Tolman, a BYU bioethics professor, said Woodward’s study is different because he is only collecting mitochondria and chromosomes to identify similarities between people with similar ancestries.
“He’s not identifying genes for genetic traits, like breast cancer or prostate cancer or the kind of stuff insurance companies would love to get their hands on,” Tolman said.
Another ethical question about the intrusion of science on traditional societies has been raised by previous studies.
Bamshad said a study similar to Woodward’s, which is attempting to collect DNA samples from many different indigenous populations, has remained stagnant for years. He said the study, called the Human Genome Diversity Project, has leveled off, partly because aboriginal populations have been concerned about how their DNA will be used in the future.
“They claimed it was the biological mining of human data,” Bamshad said. “Historically, those populations have not been treated well, and they believed it was another form of colonialism.”
He said some groups felt they already understood their origins, according to their beliefs and legends, and did not need or want scientists to tell them from where they originated.
Woodward said his study has addressed the initial problems of the Human Genome Diversity Project.
“The resolutions to those problems are included in our consent form,” Woodward said. “We feel we are dealing with a highly intelligent population right now at BYU, and they are required to read and sign the consent form before they can participate.”
Woodward plans to find 500 populations from among the samples collected at BYU and throughout the world. He said he is already collaborating with other scientific labs in the Middle East, Europe, South America and Southeast Asia.
Woodward said he does not foresee any difficulties collecting samples from that many populations.
“Depending on which anthropologist you talk to, there are anywhere from 3,000-100,000 different populations in the world,” Woodward said. “We will ultimately look for the genetic definition of populations in the genetic markers.”
