Nonprofits formed to study genetic technology

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By George A. Chidi Jr.

(IDG) -- Celera Genomics Group founder Craig Venter has formed three not-for-profit organizations to study the ethics and social implications of genetic technology, and to look for applications of biotechnology in energy production.

The three organizations grew from The Institute for Genomic Research, or TIGR, Venter's research institute for sequencing and analysis of microbial, parasitic, plant and other eukaryotic genomes, said Heather Kowalski, a spokeswoman for the institute. Eukaryotes are organisms made up of one or more cells that contain visible nuclei and organelles.

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Venter will be president and chairman of the TIGR Center for the Advancement of Genomics (TCAG), which will help the public and its elected leadership better understand the ethical and social implications of genomics. High on TCAG's priority list is assisting the passage of a federal genetic antidiscrimination law, Kowalski said.

The law would prohibit employers or insurers from denying a job or coverage to a person because of genetic predisposition to illness, she said.

"People have always been fearful of having their genetic information fall into the wrong hands," she said. "There will be those that will hold a genetic deterministic view."

While some genes may predispose people to certain medical conditions, it would be an incorrect reading of a genetic test to presume someone is at greater risk without understanding a patient's history or lifestyle, she said.

Venter will also be president and chairman of the Institute for Biological Energy Alternatives (IBEA), a research organization looking to develop biological tools to create cleaner fuels such as hydrogen, synthetic fuel cells, and microbial "scrubbers" to convert carbon dioxide emissions into water.

Also, Venter will be president and chairman of the J. Craig Venter Science Foundation, a financial support group for the other nonprofit organizations orbiting the geneticist. The foundation will coordinate the research and investment activities of TIGR, TCAG and IBEA, as well as looking for ways to improve science education.

All the organizations are based in Rockville, Maryland.