Signing off from live blogging.

Signing off from live blogging. The meeting continues tomorrow but unfortunately I will not be live blogging.

Moreno's talk concerned remote risks

Moreno's talk concerned remote risks and how to stratify them given the lack of power (n) on which to base risk assessment.

Last session for today with

Last session for today with Bryan Norton and Jonathan Moreno.

Quote of the day belongs

Quote of the day belongs to Sondra Wheeler: lets not play 'bumper sticker bioethics.'

Art's suggestions: 1. Branding synthetic

Art's suggestions: 1. Branding synthetic organisms. 2. Set life span. 3. One agency in charge of oversight in US.

And we are back from the lunch break. Up next are Art Caplan, Ingrid Mattson and Sondra Wheeler on philosophical and theological perspectives. Art was kind enough to pose for a picture.

This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

One interesting public comment not

One interesting public comment not having to do with synthetic biology. To add to the Commission agenda policy change on classified research.

Arti Rai & Ashley Stephens:

Arti Rai & Ashley Stephens: the patent and intellectual property environment will pose additional challenges to synthetic biology and Commission.

My battery on my device

My battery on my device is suffering so will limit posts and pictures. Sorry.

Second worry: what precautions should

Second worry: what precautions should be in place for clinical work?

Daniel Sulmasy: some worries. 1.

Daniel Sulmasy: some worries. 1. Can or have the engineered systems evolved beyond original purpose. Collins: yes but evolve towards non function

Stephen Hauser: are there additional

Stephen Hauser: are there additional clinical considerations that the commission should take into account that aren't governed by existing rules?

Raju Kucherlapati: what are the boundaries of synthetic biology?

Weiss: how to bring together

Weiss: how to bring together 2 controversial areas of science: synthetic biology and stem cell research? His talk focused on cancer bioenginering

Weiss: also using slides. See bioethics.gov. His talk gives some flavor of the possiblilities of synthetic biology. The talks remind me of technologies that would prevent biotech gone amuck like in I Am Legend.

My opinion: Collins' talk is

My opinion: Collins' talk is so cool! The state of bioengineered nanoscale technologies are amazing.

James Collins & Ron Weiss up next. Collins provides overview of field of synthetic biology from engineering perspective. Using slides so see bioethics.org.

This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

John Arras & Anita Allen:

John Arras & Anita Allen: how do manage uncertainty given that the technologies are emerging.

Faden: consensus is method not the goal.

Nita Farahanny: how to balance methodologies of consensus and framework building versus using case studies? Inductive versus deductive methods.

Nelson Michael: how can we global? Should we? Capron: Gutmann already taking first step by attending global meeting of bioethics commissions.

Upshot of Capron: challenged Commission

Upshot of Capron: challenged Commission to determine how they work, what they will produce, and how it will be judged.

Capron: among multitude of purposes

Capron: among multitude of purposes of Commissions is to solidify emerging consensus and act as a crucible for ideas without consensus.

Alex Capron up next. Served on 2 national commissions. Using slides (in background of picture) so check bioethics.gov or live webcast.

Provide framework with robust and

Provide framework with robust and practical guidance for policymakers and scientific stakeholders around the globe.

Faden: Commission should articulate moral/ethical/

Faden: Commission should articulate moral/ethical/policy framework for all emerging technologies not just synthetic biology.

Gutmann introduces Dr. Ruth Faden

Gutmann introduces Dr. Ruth Faden who will speak about the lessons learned from previous Commissions. She chaired the Radiation Commission.

The public is welcome to

The public is welcome to also offer comments on the topic. Bioethics.gov has details.

Todays topic is synthetic biology.

Todays topic is synthetic biology. The agenda seems pretty packed with big hitters to provide presentations to inform the Commission members.

And we are off...Dr. Gutmann welcomes us to day 1 of the public meeting.

The live blogging of the PCSBI will begin shortly. It's exciting to have such a meeting here at Penn.

Here is a direct link

Here is a direct link to the PCSBI Agenda for Monday and Tuesday: http://bioethics.gov/meetings/091310/

Details on Penn's Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues (PCSBI) Meeting

Here's the email sent by Penn President and Chair, Dr. Amy Gutmann:

Dear Penn Students, Faculty, and Staff:

I am writing to invite you to attend the second meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, which I have the privilege of chairing, on September 13-14, 2010, on Penn's campus. Our 13-member commission continues to examine the issue of synthetic biology, a field that President Obama has asked us to consider in response to recent major breakthroughs in the field. The commission comprises experts from a variety of perspectives and includes Penn's own Anita Allen, J.D., Ph.D., Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and Philosophy and Senior Fellow in the Department of Bioethics in the School of Medicine.

The meeting next week will include testimony from experts in biology, genetics, ethics, law, public policy, and related fields, including three Penn faculty members: Arthur L. Caplan, Ph.D., Emmanuel and Robert Hart Director of the Center for Bioethics and Sydney D. Caplan Professor of Bioethics; Jonathan D. Moreno, Ph.D., David and Lyn Silfen University Professor of Philosophy, Medical Ethics, and History and Sociology of Science; and David B. Weiner, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. The testimony heard at this meeting will help to lay the groundwork for the Bioethics Commission's report to President Obama later this year.

The meeting will be held at the Inn at Penn (3600 Sansom Street) and The Agora at the Annenberg Public Policy Center (202 S. 36th St.), and all are welcome to attend. You may view a live webcast during the meeting at http://www.bioethics.gov/meetings. Highlights and a link to the full agenda can be found on the Penn website: http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/current/latestnews/081910-2.html. No RSVP is necessary.

I hope you can join me at this important and informative event, which will help ensure that our nation's vital and innovative work in science and technology is conducted in a socially and ethically responsible manner.

Sincerely,
Amy Gutmann

Welcome!

Welcome to E4's bioethics blog. From time to time, E4 will live blog events of note in bioethics. The first is this coming Monday, September 13 to Tuesday, September 14. Penn is hosting the Presidential Commission on the Study of Bioethical Issues (PCSBI).

David Perlman will be there providing mobile, live-blogging of the event. The coverage will consist of pictures and text commentary using a mobile device.

Folks interested in the live feed from the meeting for complete coverage should click here.

And, if you are reading, this blog, then you must be interested in current issues in bioethics. E4 (www.e-four.org) is a small business dedicated to interactive bioethics education. Please see the information on the right-hand side of the blog for more information about E4 products and services. For books published by E4, click here.

-David Perlman