Immunotherapy

This week we will be wrapping up our unit on Mitosis, Meiosis and Cancer.  When I started researching cancer, the amount of articles is a little overwhelming.  So instead, we are going to focus on one treatment of cancer this week...Immunotherapy.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/07/11/with-new-genes-and-an-electric-shock-scientists-turn-immune-cells-against-cancer/?utm_term=.76701b45e671

This week you will read the article above from The Washington Post about immunotherapy.  Not only do I want you to summarize the article and understand the premise of immunotherapy, but I also want you to do a little research.  At the end of the post, I would like you to include a link to either a video about a cancer survivor, a video about a cancer treatment or a legit scientific article about cancer.  Believe me there is a lot of material out there, but please make sure to vett your sources.  Paste the link at the end of your paragraph and briefly describe what it is about.

Savior Sibling

On Friday, I had a sick kid at home so you were able to watch some of My Sister's Keeper which is based on the book by Jodi Picoult.  Hopefully you were able to make the connections to last unit with DNA and genetic engineering and this unit where we are going to discuss cancer.  What most people don't realize is that this movie is loosely based on a Colorado family, the Nash's.  The Nash family had a sick daughter and conceived a son for the sole purpose of saving their daughter.  The Savior Sibling has also been the story-line on soap operas, CSI, Heroes, Star Trek, books and movies.  In fact, the savior sibling was even on my Chicago Med show this past week.  I have had students in class that were bone marrow donors for their siblings, but I have never had a student that was a savior sibling.

Here are some articles about the Nash family and the ethics of creating a savior sibling:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2000/oct/04/genetics.internationalnews

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/17-years-later-nash-family-opens-up-about-controversial-decision-to-save-dying-daughter

http://www.amc.edu/bioethicsblog/post.cfm/is-it-ethical-for-parents-to-create-a-savior-sibling

For your assignment this week, you don't actually have to read any of the articles unless you were absent on Friday.  I want to know how far you would go to save your child.  Is it ethical to create a savior sibling?  Should the savior sibling have a say in whether or not they are used to save the older sibling?  If you were a savior sibling would you find a lawyer and sue for the right to be medically emancipated from your parents?  Please provide reasons behind your opinions.  Give examples from either the movie or one of the articles above.  If you can find other research about savior siblings, please share it with me.  You will write one paragraph with at least 5 sentences and comment on one of your peers posts.

Controversial GMO Mosquito

Mosquitoes....we love to hate them.  In fact one good thing about all this cold weather is that we don't have to worry about mosquitoes at all.  However, last week mosquitoes were definitely in the news. 

This week you will either read or listen to (there is a spot on the website where you can listen to the article rather than reading it) about genetically modified mosquitoes.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/02/20/693735499/scientists-release-controversial-genetically-modified-mosquitoes-in-high-securit

According to the article, malaria kills over 400,000 people each year (mostly children).  Over 200 million people get sick with malaria each year.  The Target Malaria project which is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is trying to eradicate Malaria.  To learn more about the Target Malaria project, go to the link below:

https://targetmalaria.org/

Your assignment is to read or listen to the NPR article.  Write a scholarly paragraph about what you think of the article.  Is this a good idea?  Why?  Is it morally wrong to genetically engineer mosquitoes in a way that could bring an end to their species?  Do you like the modification that insures that the mutation is passed on to offspring?  Why is it okay to end malaria?  Do ecosystems need mosquitoes?  Are you in favor of or against eliminating this species?  Also, please comment on at least one of your peer's posts.  This is due by Friday, March 1st.

The Innocence Project

Last week on the blog, I had you think about DNA testing and how the FBI used companies like Family Tree in order to identify criminals.  This week we are going to look at DNA in a different light.

Watch the two videos below about the Innocence Project:

Two years ago when I taught Forensics here at Central, I brought in a guest speaker, Angel Gonzalez.  Angel Gonzalez spent over 20 years in prison here in Illinois for a crime he did not commit.  While many of you were definitely against DNA testing in the first blog post, what do you think now?  Check out the Innocence Project website.  I am going to give you the link to Angel Gonzalez's profile, but look around.

https://www.innocenceproject.org/cases/angel-gonzalez/

Your assignment this week is to write another paragraph about DNA being used to exonerate people who have been sent to prison for crimes they did not commit.  In class I will tell you about what I learned when I dealt with the Innocence Project.  Does this make you think differently about DNA testing?  Are you in favor of DNA testing if it would prove someone innocent?  Can you think of a very famous criminal case that was one of the first highly publicized cases using DNA evidence?  Do a little research.  What is a high-profile case where DNA testing was essential?  Would you want to work for the Innocence Project?  If you were wrongly convicted, would you be able to forgive the system that wronged you?  Please make sure your paragraph is thoughtful and at least 5 sentences long.

DNA Profile.... Private or Public Property

DNA:
This week we will start our unit on DNA.  I am still blown away with the progress DNA technology has made since I was in high school.  The fact that the structure of DNA wasn't published until 1953 and now people can buy a kit at Target and send away to get a complete DNA profile is rather surreal.

Unless you are a teacher, a police officer, or a criminal, chances are that your fingerprints are not on file.  Public employees are often fingerprinted before they are hired so companies can do a quick background check.  In fact, I was fingerprinted before starting work at Central.

However, DNA fingerprints and DNA profiles are an entirely different thing.  On crime shows, producers make it appear that if you leave DNA at the crime scene then you will automatically be identified.  However, unless you have a criminal record and your DNA is already on file, DNA evidence is almost impossible to use to narrow down a suspect.

Enter the popular DNA testing.  So everyday citizens can now take DNA tests in the privacy of their home and send the information off to be tested.  Private companies now have giant databases with millions of DNA profiles.

Your assignment this week is to read the article below from MIT.

https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/612875/a-consumer-dna-testing-company-has-given-the-fbi-access-to-its-two-million/

In a scholarly paragraph, I want you to summarize what you read.  Then I want you to give your opinion.  What do you think?  Is it ethically right that Family Tree is providing the FBI access to their data base?  Do you think private individuals probably signed a waiver giving up their rights to that DNA profile when they sent away their kit?  Would you want to do a DNA profile?  Would you want to know about your ancestors, future health conditions, potentially deadly genetic conditions and more?  Your paragraph should have capital letters and proper punctuation.  Your paragraph should be at least five sentences long.  My suggestion to you is to type it in a Google Document first and then copy and paste it into the comments below.  I would also like you to comment on at least two of your peers.