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Professor of Genetics to explain 'Designer babies'

The November talk in the autumn season of Café Scientifique will take place at 7pm on Tuesday 11 November at Ye Olde Beverlie (St Stephens Green, Canterbury).

The talk, which is titled Designer Babies part deux: This time it's personal, will be given by Darren Griffin, Professor of Genetics at the University of Kent. Café Scientifique is an informal monthly meeting to explore and debate the latest ideas in science and technology. It is free and open to all.

According to Professor Griffin, a major contributor to the recently announced universal embryo screening technique dubbed the 'Genetic MoT for embryos', the definition of a 'designer baby' is 'one that has been designed by its future parents to have all the desirable genetic traits that the parents would wish for - presumably to give the resulting child the best possible start and advantages in life.'

The aim of Professor Griffin's talk will be to explore some of the facts that surround this much-vaunted media phrase and, in the process, dispel some of the myths surrounding it. His discussion will consider cloning, Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) and germline therapy, along with an appraisal of how the practicalities of these procedures justify the hype that accompanies them.

Professor Griffin will also explore the most practical means through which people can try to have their own designer babies.

Biographical note: Darren Griffin was appointed Professor of Genetics at the University of Kent in 2007. In the early 1990s he collaborated with Professors Alan Handyside and Sir Robert Winston and became the first person to use a technique called 'FISH' to diagnose sex in IVF embryos (a technique that is still used). His current research includes work on the genetics of human sperm, fatness in pigs, sex determination and computer-based learning.

Contact: mediaoffice@kent.ac.uk

Story published at 3:15pm 10 November 2008