Esther and Nina

Intro

(Bio)informatics: "Tool" to generate, analyze, access data e.g genome data
- Resulting problems:
  - What to do with the data?
  - Which fields will be influenced by BI?
  - Who is getting access? Where/How is it stored?

Ethical issues

,,Bioinformatics and computational genomics provide the ability to potentially fix genome defects and prevent disease, but their long-term effects are still uncertain. They may fix specific problems now but could possibly lead to others later on. “Such technologies imply new possibilities for improving health but, on the other hand, they are still at an experimental stage and therefore should be implemented under rigorous safety testing before going on general release” [Marturano 2016] ."

The use of technology in genome studies can be beneficial, but it is becoming dependent on it, which could lead to serious problems such as the possibility of having lack of human skill in those fields. Originally, genetics used to be thought of as a science that did not need computers, but the development of bioinformatics and computational genomics has made computer technology almost a requirement for further studies of the human genome [Marturano 2016].

The use of bioinformatics could lead to a “designer baby”, where parents choose the physiological traits of their children or offspring [Singh 2012]. It could also negatively affect the gene pool including animals and plants. It can cause discomfort if it is related to animal breeding and can negatively affects the environment by the “elimination of natural populations and the processes of natural selection” [Perzigian 2016].

Source

Caveats

Privacy concerns
"Too much information"
Designer babies
GMOs

(See Introduction to Bioinformatics)