Would you give your DNA to a private or government entity?

Ralphy1

Ralphy1

Well-known Member
You should, as this will help to isolate what genes cause specific cancers and other diseases. With millions of DNA samples specific treatments may be developed so that "one size fits all" will no longer apply. This change in treatment will be the biggest breakthrough in medicine in our lifetimes and we should all participate, but you won't be forced to...
 

Happy to donate any tissue to a non-profit organisation but I have problems giving my DNA to any organisation that will take out a patent and prevent others from conducting research without paying a motza for the privilege.

IMO processes may be patented but not those things that are present in nature. Like DNA and other naturally occurring substances.
 
Don't have a link but some organisations using donated tissue have isolated genes such as the ones that cause breast cancer and they then take out a patent on the genes. Then if some other research facility wants to experiment using that particular gene they must pay for the "intellectual property" else the research cannot be undertaken.

I see this as wrong.
 
Nothing was mentioned in the discussion I heard about the issues brought up here. Perhaps we might have to rely on the good will of corporations to keep this in the public realm in all aspects...
 
I wonder what ever happened to the people that had their bodies frozen to be brought back later ?? I have not heard anything about them in years!! Wasn't there a famous person that did this ??

Edit: Sorry for hijacking your Thread..Cryogenically frozen Walt Disney is a myth.

Now back to the post..
 
Here's a bit of an explanation of what I'm talking about
The last major ethical issue involving gene patents is how the patents are used post-issuance. A major concern is that the use of patented materials and processes will be very expensive or even prohibited to some degree by conditions the patent owner sets. Limiting access like this would directly impact agricultural institutes and university researchers, among others. Some fear that holders of biotechnology patents would exploit their rights in order to make larger profits, at the potential expense of farmers, healthcare patients, and other users of patented technologies.

The ethics of using patents to increase profits are also debated. A typical argument in favor of biotech patents is that they enable companies to earn money that the companies in turn invest in further research. Without these patents, some worry that companies would no longer have the resources or motives to perform competitive, viable biotech research.
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Other issues also discussed here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_patent
 
Yes, the patent law does give exclusivity for a period of time so it may be that the rich will survive and the rest won't, or it could be that health care either provided by private companies or government programs will take care of the majority of the population...
 
I submitted my DNA a few years ago to Ancestry.com so that I could find potential family members that had become separated from my ancestors by distance, natural disasters, etc. Ancestry.com provided me a map showing where my distant ancestors had originated and how they traveled around the world to end up in the U.S. Every few weeks I get an email announcing another match. I have received about 400 matches to my DNA. If I sometime get around to it, I will contact some of these long-lost relatives. To me, it is important and interesting to see all the places my ancestors have been.
 
I have provided DNA to 23andme the genetic screening organization. In return they provided me the raw data resulting from the analysis of my DNA. I have subsequently used that data to generate reports detailing the precise mutations I was born with and showing strategies for dealing with the health consequences of these mutations. For example one mutation I have results in my inability to break down histamine normally. As a result I've modified my diet to reduce foods that promote histamine formation. The result has been that allergy symptoms that have bother me for years are no longer present.
 
rporter610 said:
I submitted my DNA a few years ago to Ancestry.com so that I could find potential family members that had become separated from my ancestors by distance, natural disasters, etc. Ancestry.com provided me a map showing where my distant ancestors had originated and how they traveled around the world to end up in the U.S. Every few weeks I get an email announcing another match. I have received about 400 matches to my DNA. If I sometime get around to it, I will contact some of these long-lost relatives. To me, it is important and interesting to see all the places my ancestors have been.
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That is so interesting... I would love to do that.. Is it expensive? I have about 50 FB friends with the same last name as mine... Most are in Germany... but so far we cannot connect a direct relationship to one another. This would be very interesting.
 
Oh, they used to take it and all kinds of dna, used cells and blood samples from folks without permission all the time, I imagine some are familiar with Henrietta Lacks. Many of the original cancer cell and other landmark studies still today. One of the reasons there's a book titled "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" But it's certainly nice these days they are asking some people for permission. :) Millions, likely more like Billions by this point generated from her cells which her nor her family saw a penny of, well maybe years latter the family might have received a penny.

http://www.npr.org/2010/02/02/123232331/henrietta-lacks-a-donors-immortal-legacy


http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/henrietta-lacks-immortal-cells-6421299/?no-ist

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/08/s...is-asked-for-consent.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
 
So your body, should be public domain, when you go into a hospital, the doctors have the right to do take from you as they wish and to use it for profit without your consent?
 
Not at all. By public domain I mean that if I surrender any part of my body, blood, tissues, organs or DNA, it is on the condition that no-one makes profit from it. It should be used for the benefit of humanity, not for the benefit of big corporations.

I was a Red Cross blood donor for years and that was how my blood was treated.
On my death I'm happy for any part, or all of my body to be used, providing it is for a not for profit purpose.
 
Dame Warrigal said:
Not at all. By public domain I mean that if I surrender any part of my body, blood, tissues, organs or DNA, it is on the condition that no-one makes profit from it. It should be used for the benefit of humanity, not for the benefit of big corporations.

I was a Red Cross blood donor for years and that was how my blood was treated.
On my death I'm happy for any part, or all of my body to be used, providing it is for a not for profit purpose.
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A good point about blood donation... once you donate it... It's no longer yours... For a time it belongs to the blood bank... then it belongs to the recipient.. We cannot control how the blood is broken down into it's components... nor can we control who gets it.. Does the DNA fall into that catagory also?
 
Dame Warrigal said:
Not at all. By public domain I mean that if I surrender any part of my body, blood, tissues, organs or DNA, it is on the condition that no-one makes profit from it. It should be used for the benefit of humanity, not for the benefit of big corporations.

I was a Red Cross blood donor for years and that was how my blood was treated.
On my death I'm happy for any part, or all of my body to be used, providing it is for a not for profit purpose.
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That I can agree with, but what happened in the case I posted it about was far from similar to what happened you were making a comment judgement to in your followup to my first post. I would happily donate parts of my dna, blood, etc. In Miss Lacks case, her cells were sold for profit to various source to use for research once everyone realized the value and there was never any consent from the get go either way much less she was even lied to about her condition before her illness even worsened to make matters worse they later brought in members of her family and did some experimenting on their cells to further their research under false pretenses.
 
Again, if you give consent that's one thing, I said nothing about where consent was given and what those go on to do with those results. Once you donate, give, your connection is done. Of course less you give in the case of sperm donations where in the courts these days come back to some and start asking for child support out of the blue.
 
QuickSilver said:
That is so interesting... I would love to do that.. Is it expensive? I have about 50 FB friends with the same last name as mine... Most are in Germany... but so far we cannot connect a direct relationship to one another. This would be very interesting.
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When I did it a few years ago, it was $99.95. I'm not sure what they charge now. But you can find out by going on ancestry.com. There will be a tab to click on to find out about DNA testing.
 
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