Little Amelia Sloan is a pioneer: Shortly after her birth, scientists took drops of the healthy baby’s blood to map her genetic code.
Amelia is part of a large research project outside the nation’s capital that is decoding the DNA of hundreds of infants. New parents in a few other cities soon can start signing up for smaller studies to explore if what’s called genome sequencing — fully mapping someone’s genes to look for health risks — should become a part of newborn care.
It’s full of ethical challenges.
Mom and Dad may be told something their child, once grown, wishes hadn’t been revealed, or other findings may be withheld now that would be good to know years later, as new treatments are developed.
Read the full, original story here: Ethical issues as scientists peek into baby genes
Additional Resources:
- “NIH Studies Explore Promise of Sequencing Babies’ Genomes,” Science
- “Sequencing baby’s genome: a help in treatment or too much information?” Los Angeles times
- “Baby Genome Mapped in Womb,” ABC News