Research: Genetic Information

The capacity of modern technology to diagnose and predict disease using DNA-analysis of tissue, cell-lines and blood samples has brought with it ethical and legal problems. Genetic information about an individual is of relevance also to genetic relatives to this individual.

At the Centre, a PhD project on retrospective DNA technologies and integrity for historical persons is carried out by Malin Masterton, BSc. One of our associated reserchers, Anna-Lydia Svalastog, is currently looking at how medical ethics structure legal regulations of gene technology and plant science and how national politics structure research history and native genetic studies.

Completed research

A collaboration with researchers in social pharmacy and genetics at Uppsala University resulted in the project "When and under what circumstances may genetic information be used?" The project included case studies and an empirical investigation with the aim of learning about current practices for procedures of handling the material and the obtainment of informed consent.

A collaboration with researchers in caring sciences at Uppsala University resulted in a project on how people live with a genetic risk for cancer that looked into the ehical and psychosocial implications of diagnosis and examination of hereditary cancer.