Georgia Tech :: Problem Based Learning (PBL)

GENETIC PROFILING

Level - Undergrad

Complaint # 983596-A was filed by Dr. John Smith of Twinsburg OH on May 12, 2003 to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Dr. Smith alleges that NanoTech Inc, a small biomedical company based in Cincinnati, OH discriminated against him on the basis of his genetic profile. Partially because of intense public interest and media coverage, a Congressional committee is investigating this issue, and your team has been called in to testify before Congress as scientific experts on the topic.

The details are as follows: Dr. Smith, was let go two weeks after starting as the research director of clinical applications. These two weeks were within the 4 week probationary period made explicit during the interview process. The letter conveying this news to Dr. Smith explicitly stated that he was being let go because genetic analysis on his saliva swab (done shortly after he joined the company) revealed that he had a susceptible serotonin transporter gene (‘s/s genotype’) that had been identified as responsible for increasing the probability that one might develop Clinical Depression or be non-responsive to anti-depressant therapy. At the time, Dr. Smith had no episodes of depression in his medical history. However, the company stated that this result would significantly impact the company’s insurance premiums.

Based on the most current research, you are to testify on the state of the science involved in predicting future disease, specifically depression and associated diseases. Importantly, your recommendations need to be mindful of a variety of stakeholders including individual citizens and employees, employers, insurance companies and society at large.

Specifically, you need to address the following:

• The protocols generally followed in genetic testing, their reliability and accuracy.
• Your recommendation to the Congressional committee from this specific case perspective on the validity of the science behind Nanotech’s decision.
• Whether this is a valid case of risk-assessment, or whether it is akin to discrimination on the basis of race, gender or disability, which is explicitly forbidden by law. Effectively, should the Congress enact laws relating to genetic profiling?

Your recommendations should be informed by biomedical science and biomedical ethics.