Monday, January 29, 2007
Tweet[IWS] CRS: GENETIC TESTING: Scientific Background for Policymakers [26 January 2007]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Order Code RL33832
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Genetic Testing: Scientific Background for Policymakers
January 26, 2007
Amanda K. Sarata, Analyst in Genetics, Domestic Social Policy Division
http://www.opencrs.com/rpts/RL33832_20070126.pdf
[full-text, 13 pages]
Summary
In the 109th Congress, several pieces of legislation were introduced that related
to genetic and genomic technology and testing, including the Genetic Information
Nondiscrimination Act of 2005 (S. 306/H.R. 1227), the Genomics and Personalized
Medicine Act of 2006 (S. 3822) and the Prenatally Diagnosed Condition Awareness
Act (S. 609). Although none of these bills passed, they signal the growing
importance of the public policy issues surrounding the clinical and public health
implications of new genetic technology. As genetic technologies proliferate and are
increasingly used to guide clinical treatment, these public policy issues are likely to
continue to garner considerable attention. Understanding the basic scientific
concepts underlying genetics and genetic testing may help facilitate the development
of more effective public policy in this area.
Most diseases have a genetic component. Some diseases such as Huntington's
Disease are caused by a specific gene. Other diseases, such as heart disease and
cancer, are caused by a complex combination of genetic and environmental factors.
For this reason, the public health burden of genetic disease is substantial, as is its
clinical significance. Experts note that society has recently entered a transition
period in which specific genetic knowledge is becoming critical to the delivery of
effective health care for everyone. Therefore, the value of and role for genetic testing
in clinical medicine is likely to increase significantly in the future.
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Order Code RL33832
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Genetic Testing: Scientific Background for Policymakers
January 26, 2007
Amanda K. Sarata, Analyst in Genetics, Domestic Social Policy Division
http://www.opencrs.com/rpts/RL33832_20070126.pdf
[full-text, 13 pages]
Summary
In the 109th Congress, several pieces of legislation were introduced that related
to genetic and genomic technology and testing, including the Genetic Information
Nondiscrimination Act of 2005 (S. 306/H.R. 1227), the Genomics and Personalized
Medicine Act of 2006 (S. 3822) and the Prenatally Diagnosed Condition Awareness
Act (S. 609). Although none of these bills passed, they signal the growing
importance of the public policy issues surrounding the clinical and public health
implications of new genetic technology. As genetic technologies proliferate and are
increasingly used to guide clinical treatment, these public policy issues are likely to
continue to garner considerable attention. Understanding the basic scientific
concepts underlying genetics and genetic testing may help facilitate the development
of more effective public policy in this area.
Most diseases have a genetic component. Some diseases such as Huntington's
Disease are caused by a specific gene. Other diseases, such as heart disease and
cancer, are caused by a complex combination of genetic and environmental factors.
For this reason, the public health burden of genetic disease is substantial, as is its
clinical significance. Experts note that society has recently entered a transition
period in which specific genetic knowledge is becoming critical to the delivery of
effective health care for everyone. Therefore, the value of and role for genetic testing
in clinical medicine is likely to increase significantly in the future.
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 2:53 PM
