One of the most significant factors that will affect human health during the 21st century is genetics. From the question of whether smoking will cause cancer (it will in some and won't in others) to whether high levels of cholesterol in the blood will lead to heart disease, everything is related to the genetic information that determines an individual's constitution.
The decoding of genetic information by genome research institutes will have a major effect on future societies, not only in terms of medical treatment and health care, but also in the areas of economics, law and ethics. Should an individual's hereditary information, for example, fall within that person's right to privacy? Should people with cancer-prone genes pay higher insurance rates? Should people with genes showing a tendency toward heart disease be prohibited from flying aircraft? Is it only a matter of time before newborn babies are given a list telling them what elements of their genetic information might influence their health?
The interpretation of human genetic information has not only changed our understanding of life, but has also opened up countless opportunities in biomedical research.
Understanding the structure and function of individual genes; exploring the roles that individual genes or genomes play in different physiological or pathological condi-tions; understanding the interaction between genes and how the genetic pattern directs a fertilized egg to develop into an individual -- these will all be focal points of biomedical research in this century.
Through genome research and analysis, the hidden secrets of the most basic elements of life -- birth, aging, sickness and death -- will be revealed. And the knowledge accumulated through research will become the cornerstone of the global biotechnology industry.
Given the obvious importance of genome research, therefore, shouldn't we also think about what impact it will have on the development of Taiwanese society?
I believe genome research will be a test of our technology. It will show us whether we have the wisdom, in these difficult times, to find a research niche, become a leader in the global race to decode genetic information and, moreover, make certain genetic information our "intellectual property."
It is only by successfully completing this step that we will be qualified to discuss the future development of Taiwan's biotech industry. Merely analyzing Taiwan's level of competitiveness internationally and parroting calls for "genome research" and "biotechnology" does little more than to make science into another debased example of "politics" in action.
Genome research also poses serious challenges to our present system of science education. The production, absorption and use of genetic information requires the integration of basic sciences such as biology, information technology, chemistry and physics. Tai-wan's universities, however, are suffering from both a shrinkage of government investment in higher education and a twisted value system that places academic dissertations above all other possible criteria for evaluating staff.
Integrated curriculum design, employment of teachers, and resource allocation are always the sacrificial objects in campus political struggles. In universities, it's either a case of young professors unable to get promotions because they are laboring under unbearably heavy teaching loads, or of everyone avoiding undergraduate teaching posts in the first place.
Taiwan's scientists are already behind their counterparts elsewhere in terms of gene research. And as the planning for Taiwan's National Genetic Research Center seems to have nothing to do with education, where is the next generation of genetic research scientists going to come from?
Genetics not only needs to be integrated into science education in universities, but should be included in primary and secondary education as well. In Taiwan's traditional secondary education, where students are channeled into either arts or science tracks, students of arts, law and business rarely have a good grounding in the sciences.
Education in genetics, however, will have an unprecedented impact on ethics, society and law. If discussion on the subject among the general public remains forever at the level of "What if we create another Hitler?" it will be very difficult for us to envisage in Taiwan a modern, smoothly progressing society in which genetics is widely taught. High-school courses, the retraining of teachers, the development of teaching materials -- a huge investment of effort and resources should be made in all of these areas.
Areas such as genome research and science education that are closely linked to the long-term development of Taiwanese society have been drowned out by the din of pre-election politics. Discussions in academic circles at present are dominated by moans and groans about not having enough money. As the genetic era approaches, are we resigning ourselves to sinking without a trace?
Chou Cheng-kung is a professor of life sciences at National Yang Ming University.
Translated by Scudder Smith
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