Grand challenge: ELSI in a changing global environment

Dov Greenbaum

doi:10.3389/fgene.2013.00158

Abstract

Grand challenge: ELSI in a changing global environment

Highlights

While many appreciate the government’s interventions in this area, others are quick to point out that a large standing army of academic ethicists, many woefully unfamiliar with actual industry practices outside the Ivory Tower, will inevitably find battles to find
ELSI, in its modern incarnation, was born in a last minute revision of a 1988 James Watson speech, where Watson set aside funds for the study of the ethical, legal, and social implications of the massive US government funded Human Genome Project (Cook-Deegan, 1994)
The ELSI component has been a staple part of genomics grants ever since (Daniel Seltzer et al, 2011)

Summary

Introduction

While many appreciate the government’s interventions in this area, others are quick to point out that a large standing army of academic ethicists, many woefully unfamiliar with actual industry practices outside the Ivory Tower, will inevitably find battles to find. The science of ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) ameliorated this concern by establishing a governing set of goals and principles. ELSI, in its modern incarnation, was born in a last minute revision of a 1988 James Watson speech, where Watson set aside funds for the study of the ethical, legal, and social implications of the massive US government funded Human Genome Project (Cook-Deegan, 1994).

Results

Conclusion