CSG kalender

Verandert gentherapie de toekomst van onze gezondheid?

2010-09-16T13:00:00+02:00

Kennis van onze genen maakt het in principe mogelijk om de geneeskunde van persoon tot persoon op maat te maken. Krijgt iedereen in de toekomst zijn eigen
medicijn? Dit klinkt futuristisch, maar is voor een deel al werkelijkheid. De verwachtingen zijn hoog gespannen, maar zal het ook echt de doorbraak zijn die nodig is in de medische wetenschap?

Onderzoekers uit de wetenschap en de farmaceutische industrie ontvouwen op dit symposium de mogelijkheden van gentherapie. In de genen is te zien voor welke ziektes je aanleg hebt. Ziekten die hun oorzaak vinden in een ‘fout’ in het DNA hoeven in de toekomst niet langer ongeneeslijk te zijn. Gentherapie kan de fout repareren. Op dit moment wordt al onderzoek gedaan naar de behandeling van ernstige ziektes als spierdystrofie. Ook de behandeling van bijvoorbeeld borstkanker kan profiteren van de kennis van ieders individuele genetische opmaak. De diagnose is ook sneller en nauwkeuriger te stellen en een behandeling op maat wordt mogelijk.

Gaan erfelijke aandoeningen, maar ook hart- en vaatziekten of kanker, tot het verleden behoren dankzij gentherapie en kennis van onze individuele genen? En wat is de keerzijde van dit gesleutel aan ons erfelijk materiaal?

Programma
Prof. dr. Thierry Vandendriessche (Gentechnologie, KU Leuven) geeft een inleiding op het thema gentherapie. Dr. Ron Kerkhoven (Nederlands Kanker Instituut) doet onderzoek naar gepersonaliseerde geneeskunde bij borstkanker. Hans Schikan (Prosensa Therapeutics) gaat in op clinical trials bij de behandeling van Duchenne, een spierziekte die voorheen ongeneeslijk was. Ten slotte zal de Britse arts en schrijver dr. James Le Fanu een visie geven op de betekenis van gentherapie in de geschiedenis en toekomst van de geneeskunde. Welke ethische kwesties spelen mee? Gert Storm (Biofarmacie en Farmaceutische Technologie, UU) is dagvoorzitter.

‘Ingenious medicine’ wordt georganiseerd i.s.m. studenten van het Xtrack 2010 honoursprogramma. Het symposium is gratis en voor iedereen toegankelijk.

Meer informatie op de website van Studium Generale

Good life better – anthropological, sociological and philosophical dimensions of enhancement

2010-10-11T09:00:00+02:00

The workshop is part of a series of interdisciplinary study weeks on ethical, social and legal aspects of the modern life-sciences, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The event will be organized by the Institute for the History of Medicine and Science Studies (IMGWF) at the University of Lübeck, in cooperation with the Institut für Mensch, Ethik und Wissenschaft (IMEW) in Berlin.

Target Group
PhD candidates, post-docs and young scholars in the fields of ethics, philosophy, theology, social and political sciences, cultural studies, disability studies, medicine and the life sciences.

Topic
This workshop aims to intensify an interdisciplinary bioethical discussion on “human enhancement” by explicitly connecting it to disability studies research, and by integrating philosophical, ethical, anthropological, sociological, cultural and feminist points of view. How do people with and without disabilities see “enhancing medicine” and the enhancement discourse? Looking through the lenses of disability and gender, how can we distinguish between wishes and desires that are improvements and those that are not? Which experiences of medicine and technology are key for understanding possibilities and limits of enhancement in medicine? If an inclusive societal reflection is important, are there new discrimination risks and emancipation opportunities? Questions that will be discussed are: What relates “norms” and “normality” to “normative“ considerations? How will these terms be defined in political and social arenas as well as in cultural contexts? Which visions of and options for technical enhancement of human bodies are desirable and reasonable – and why? How might a pluralist approach look, which is inspired by “thinking through the variant body”? Through interdisciplinary discussions, methods can be found that allow us to study the values and the underlying key differentiations in ideas of human identity. If somebody believes that a particular enhancing intervention is actually “improving”, he or she makes use of such values and differences. How we think about “enhancement” (what contributes to enhancement?) says a lot about what we emphasize in human life. Which frames of perception are debated in discourses, how can they be made explicit and fruitful for further discussion?

Invited Speakers
Prof. Dr. phil. Stuart Blume (University of Amsterdam) Prof. Dr. med. Cornelius Borck (University of Lübeck) Dr. rer.nat. Katrin Grüber (IMEW Berlin) Dr. phil. Ursula Naue (University of Vienna) Prof. Dr. phil. Alfred Nordmann (Technische Universität Darmstadt) Prof. Dr. phil., dipl. biol. Christoph Rehmann-Sutter (University of Lübeck) Prof. Dr. phil. Christina Schües (Hochschule Vechta) Dr. phil. Jackie Leach Scully (Newcastle University)

Call for abstracts
Contributions in the following areas in particular are welcome: (1) Experience and evaluations of enhancement, (2) Converging Biotechnologies and Phenomenology, (3) Norms and Needs, (4) Fulfilment of desires in technology and medicine, (5) Governance and Biopolitics. Contributions are also welcome that contrast body experiences with more speculative visions like “posthumanism” and “transhumanism”.

Applications
Applications in German or English can be made via email to: klausurwoche@verwijder-dit.imgwf.uni-luebeck.de until 1 July 2010 and should include an abstract (500 words), Curriculum Vitae, and a list of publications, if existing. All applicants will be informed whether or not their abstract has been accepted by 31 July 2010. The number of participants is limited to 15. Conference languages will be German and English. If an abstract is accepted, all travel and accommodation costs will be met. Accepted participants will receive an honorarium of 300 €. Deadline for final discussion drafts (if possible in English): 1 October 2010. Significant outcomes will be published as an English book.

Chair
Christoph Rehmann-Sutter Professor für Theorie und Ethik der Biowissenschaften, Institut für Medizingeschichte und Wissenschaftsforschung der Universität zu Lübeck Königsstraße 42, D-23552 Lübeck, Tel.: 0451. 70 79 98 15 e-mail: rehmann@verwijder-dit.imgwf.uni-luebeck.de

Co-Chair IMEW
Dr. Katrin Grüber Leiterin des Institut Mensch, Ethik und Wissenschaft Warschauer Str. 58A, D-10243 Berlin. Tel.: 030. 29 38 17 70 e-mail: grueber@verwijder-dit.imew.de

Administrative questions
Miriam Eilers Scientific officer and coordinator Institut für Medizingeschichte und Wissenschaftsforschung der Universität zu Lübeck Königsstraße 42, D-23552 Lübeck, Tel.: 0451. 70 79 98 12 email: miriam.eilers@verwijder-dit.gmail.com The venue is accessible for wheel-chairs.

Life Sciences Momentum 2010

2010-11-23T09:00:00+01:00

Key topics

Delivering health – Healthcare demands are changing. How can developments in the life sciences help address these demands?
Feeding the world – How can we ensure enough food for the global population? Can we breed stronger crops? Can we secure healthy food worldwide?
Offering alternative resources – Each year, we need more energy, chemicals and materials. Yet the world is finite. How are life sciences part of the solution?
Protecting the environment – The natural environment is suffering. What can we do?
Promoting innovation – The Netherlands is good at life sciences. But we need to keep moving. Where does innovation come from and how can we keep the ball rolling?

ESRC Genomics Network 4th International Conference

2010-12-06T09:00:00+01:00

ERSC Genomics Forum in partnership with the OECD Global Forum on Biotechnology

International Meeting on Psychosocial Aspects of Hereditary Cancer

2011-04-28T09:00:00+02:00

This 12th International Meeting on the Psychosocial Aspects of Hereditary Cancer will be of interest to clinical geneticists, genetic counselors, psychologists, social workers and medical specialists. It will attract delegates from around the world to participate in keynote lectures, symposia and workshops on topics related to psychosocial aspects in cancer genetics.

For more information: www.impahc2011.com