For more than six months, I have been privileged to serve as a member of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, which advises the President on issues around advances in biomedicine and related areas of science and technology. It has been immensely rewarding – and educational – getting to know and work with the other members of the Commission and its staff.

The Commission’s first task was to develop recommendations on synthetic biology. President Obama had asked the Commission to study the implications of synthetic biology following the announcement by the J. Craig Venter Institute that it had inserted a laboratory-made genome into a bacterial cell, creating an organism not found in nature.

At three public hearings, we heard from more than three-dozen ethicists, scientists and others close to the issue. After carefully considering a range of possible actions the government could take to prevent problems that might occur in the future, the Commission issued its report on synthetic biology last month.

In the report, the Commissioners agreed it imprudent either to declare a moratorium on synthetic biology until all risks can be determined, or to simply let science go where it may, regardless of the risks. We proposed a middle ground – an ongoing system of prudent vigilance that carefully monitors, identifies and mitigates potential and realized harms over time.

The report issued 18 specific recommendations, which included self-regulation by synthetic biologists and better coordination of the government agencies that oversee different aspects of the field. You can read the entire report here.

The Commission has very full agenda in 2011, with four meetings scheduled this year. I am very pleased to report that the Commission’s scheduled meeting on Aug. 29-30 will be held here in Kansas City. Although that event is more than seven months away, the planning is already underway.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the invaluable support I have received while serving on the Bioethics Commission. Three masters of health services administration students – Cori Ast, Steven Fennel and Jamie Goodwin – have been helpful in reviewing notebooks of background reading and discussing material and issues with me. And my thanks to Karen Cole, Anne Huffman and their team at the Dykes Library, who assisted with researching and setting up a website to share notes on bibliographic materials.

In the News

The research of Joe Tash, PhD, into the effects of zero gravity on the male and female reproductive systems was the subject of an excellent front page story in the Kansas City Star this week. Dr. Tash, a professor of molecular and integrative physiology, will have an experiment with mice on board in February on one of the final flights of the space shuttle. Tash's research thus far suggests that the reproductive system is at risk during space flight. You can read the entire article on the Kansas City Star website.

With the application date less than nine months away, KU is garnering more attention in its quest to achieve NCI designation. In the past couple of weeks, both the Lawrence Journal-World and the Kansas City Business Journal have written substantial articles on our progress toward our application. Both articles quoted Roy Jensen, MD, the director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center.

Jeff Burns, MD, director of the Alzheimer and Memory Program at the School of Medicine, was quoted in an article last week in USA Today about the benefits mentally stimulating board games can have on preserving memory. Read the article here.

Governor-elect Sam Brownback's naming of Robert Moser, MD, as the new head of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment drew a tremendous amount of news coverage this week. Dr. Moser is currently director of Rural Health and Outreach at the School of Medicine-Wichita. Moser was also the 2006 Kansas Family Physician of the Year and has served on various state task forces that have studied various rural and primary health care issues. Last year, Dr. Moser was the subject of a 10 Questions interview in the KU Medical Center publication, 39th + Rainbow. He talked about his passion for rural medicine and the shortage of primary care physicians in Kansas. You can read that interview here.