Artificial gametes, dual use and longevity considered for possible future Council work

The Council will discuss artificial gametes, dual use and longevity as possible future work topics at its Forward Look meeting in February 2016. Background papers commissioned to inform the discussion have now been published:

• Artificial Gametes – by Dr Anna Smajdor, Lecturer in Ethics, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia and Dr Daniela Cutas, Associate Professor of Practical Philosophy, Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, Umeå University, Sweden
• Dual Use in Biology and Biomedicine – by Dr Filippa Lentzos, Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Social Science, Health and Medicine, King’s College London
• Longevity – by Dr Hans-Jörg Ehni, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics and History of Medicine, University of Tübingen, Germany

The background papers aim to set out the key ethical issues and help explore how the Council could make a distinctive contribution if it were to initiate a new project around a topic. You can view and download all previously published background papers here.The Council has also developed a longer list of possible future topics to remain under consideration. This is reviewed each year in light of new developments.

Workshop on non-invasive prenatal testing

The Council will also be hosting a roundtable meeting later this month to discuss to discuss the clinical, ethical, social, legal and policy issues raised by non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), with a view to establishing a short project – find out more about this meeting / download the background paper on NIPT.Find out more about the Council’s future work programme

Have your sayIf you would like to suggest a topic for us to consider as part of our future work list, we would like to hear from you – find out more.