GES Center Lectures, NC State University

Recorded from NC State’s GES Colloquium, this podcast examines how biotechnologies take shape in the world: microbiome engineering in built environments, gene editing and gene drives, forest and agricultural genomics, data governance and equity, risk and regulation, sci-art, and public engagement in practice. _________ Governing Genome Editing at the Boundaries: Empirical Insights from Human Health Applications *Zoom* Only | Drawing on empirical research on human genome editing, this talk examines how ethical questions around enhancement, disease seriousness, and governance are negotiated in practice, with implications beyond human health. This talk draws on empirical research on human genome editing to examine how ethical boundaries around enhancement, disease seriousness, and governance are understood and negotiated in practice. Focusing on how scientists, clinicians, and policy professionals make sense of emerging genome‑editing technologies, the presentation highlights tensions between categorical policy distinctions and the context‑sensitive judgments required under conditions of uncertainty and clinical urgency. Rather than treating ethical boundaries as fixed or purely normative, the findings illustrate how they are shaped through anticipatory reasoning, institutional constraints, and efforts to act responsibly in the face of incomplete knowledge. Although grounded in human health applications, this analysis offers insights relevant to broader debates about responsible innovation and the governance of genetic engineering across domains. Related links: Incidental Enhancement: Addressing a Neglected Policy Issue in Human Genome Editing , NIH National Human Genome Research Institute project, R.J. Cadigan (PI) Download seminar poster Jean Cadigan, PhD Professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Profile Jean Cadigan, PhD, is a Professor of Social Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill whose work focuses on the ethical, legal, and social implications of emerging genomic technologies. A medical anthropologist, she conducts empirical research on how scientists, clinicians, policymakers, and publics understand and navigate ethical boundaries in areas such as human genome editing and genomic medicine. She recently led an NIH‑funded study, “Incidental Enhancement: Addressing a Neglected Policy Issue in Human Genome Editing,” which investigated how concerns about enhancement arise in the context of ostensibly therapeutic genome‑editing interventions. She is delighted to be affiliated with GES through PreMiEr’s Social and Ethical Implications (SEI) research focus. The Genetic Engineering and Society (GES) Colloquium is a seminar series that brings in speakers to present and stimulate discussion on a variety of topics related to existing and proposed biotechnologies and their place within broader societal changes. GES Colloquium is taught by Dr. Zack Brown, and the seminars serve as a great opportunity for our students to build their networks and grow as professionals. To support their efforts, we encourage you to join our in-person seminars, which will now take place in Nelson 4305. Remember, we regularly post colloquium seminars as videos on Panopto and on our GES Lectures podcast, allowing you to revisit or catch up on these recordings at your convenience. Please subscribe to the GES newsletter and LinkedIn for updates. Genetic Engineering and Society Center Colloquium Home | Zoom Registration | Watch Colloquium Videos | LinkedIn | Newsletter GES Center at NC State University—Integrating scientific knowledge & diverse public values in shaping the futures of biotechnology. Produced by Patti Mulligan, Communications Director, GES Center, NC State Find out more at https://ges-center-lectures-ncsu.pinecast.co