By Ingrid Burger
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 30, 1997

Don't be spooked by 'Gattaca'

Arizona Daily Wildcat Ingrid Burger

It's almost Halloween. Let's talk about blood. Last week, I pulled back my sleeve and opened up a vein for the UA/ASU blood donor challenge. In about seven minutes, a neat little bag of my precious bodily fluid was tossed into the pile to be filtered and distributed to hospitals in Southern Arizona. The platelets would be separated from the red blood cells, which would be separated from the plasma. It's possible that, by now, a pint of my blood has helped a dozen people. In today's society, we give blood to save the lives of others. If we were living in the fictional world of "GATTACA," however, this blood could have been used to determine my identity, potential and place in society.

The new sci-fi drama, "GATTACA", opened in theaters last Friday. Burning with curiosity, I plunked down $7 to see Hollywood's take on the effects of genetic technology on future society. Set "in the near future," "GATTACA" depicts a society which has placed all of its faith in the sequence of the bases, G, A, T and C, (hence the movie's title) found in DNA. Seconds after a baby is pulled from the womb, a cold metal probe latches on to his heel and sucks out a blood sample. The sample is fed into a genetic analyzer which promptly spews out a genetic "report card," detailing the child's propensity for such ailments as manic depression, alcoholism and attention deficit disorder, in addition to his life expectancy and cause of death. Parents who want the best for their child see to it that, shortly after conception, the developing embryo is genetically screened and any undesirable physical characteristics or health problems are obliterated with genetic technology.

Sounds good, right? Who wouldn't want to avoid breast cancer or Alzheimer's or an early death due to heart failure? But along with the health benefits of genetic technology comes an ugly type of discrimination. Citizens of "GATTACA" have come to believe that the information in an individual's DNA solely determines his identity, social worth and potential. Those with the good, healthy genes get the prestigious, intellectual jobs. Those with the bad, diseased genes are not allowed to pursue careers for which they are deemed "genetically unfit." The hero, an aspiring astronaut with sub-par DNA, laments that at "GATTACA" "they have discrimination down to a science."

Let's fall back to reality. What's really going on in current genetic research? How valid or immediate are concerns about genetic discrimination? How close to future truths does "GATTACA" cut? In order to control our genes, we first have to know where they are and what they do. In 1990, the Human Genome Project (HGP) set out to map and sequence the nearly 100,000 human genes. It looks as if we'll know the locations of all genes in our DNA by 2005. It will take a while longer to determine their function. Nevertheless, a more complete understanding of what our genes do will give us powerful tools to detect, prevent, treat and cure many diseases.

Surely, such research aims to improve our health, not to segregate society into genetic winners and losers. No one wants to live in a world like "GATTACA." However, concern about genetic discrimination today is very valid. Even though we haven't yet figured out ways to treat many genetic diseases, we have the ability to screen for them.

Without tight regulations, information about one's genetic predisposition for disease could fall into the hands of health insurers and employers under economic pressure to lower their costs. As we continue to unlock the secrets of our genes through research, we need to ensure that personal information obtained from genetic tests is kept in confidence.

Too often, science and technology move at a faster pace than policies to regulate their use. The creators of the HGP, however, had the foresight to establish a program to examine the ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of genetic information obtained by the HGP. To date, the ELSI working group has made several policy recommendations to protect people from discrimination. A law passed this year in Arizona prohibits health insurers from varying their rates, terms or conditions based on genetic information. Several federal bills, which protect genetic confidentiality and ensure nondiscrimination, are working their way through Congress. Advisory groups, lobbyists and legislators are working tirelessly to close off the loopholes in genetic testing policy.

Don't be spooked by movies like "GATTACA." Hopefully, in the future we'll be able to eliminate diseases with genetic medicine. Exciting research like the HGP should continue. However, keep in mind that the application of genetic technology to society won't go unchecked.

With the creation of smart policies today, future societies like "GATTACA" will remain fictional, and genetic information will never flow as freely as the blood from my veins.

Ingrid Burger is a senior majoring in molecular and cellular biology.