December 18 2018 Issue

1. The ethical and philosophical implications of gene editing. 2. [What's Trending]: Scientific and societal impact gene editing , Dr. Jason Crowell talks with Dr. Josephine Johnston of the Hastings Center on the ethical and philosophical implications of gene editing. In the second part of the podcast, Dr. Stacey Clardy focuses her interview with Dr. Stefan Pulst on the scientific and societal impact of the recent first reported gene editing using the CRISPR technology. Dr. Jason Crowell reports no disclosures. Dr. Josephine M. Johnston has received honoraria for speaking or travel from The Hastings Center, the University of Toronto, Danbury Hospital, World Science festival, the Yale School of Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania Law School, the Royal Society of New Zealand, McGill University, Dalhousie University, and Queensland University of Technology; and has received foundation/society research support from the John Templeton Foundation. Dr. Clardy serves as the Podcast Section Editor for Neurology and has received research support from Western Institute for Biomedical Research (WIBR). Dr. Stefan Pulst has served on the editorial boards of Journal of Cerebellum, NeuroMolecular Medicine, Experimental Neurology, Neurogenetics, Nature Clinical Practice, Neurology, and as the Editor-in-Chief of Neurology: Genetics; holds numerous patents (for the following: Nucleic acids encoding ataxin-2 binding proteins; Nucleic acid encoding Schwannomin-binding-proteins and products related thereto; Transgenic mouse expressing a polynucleotide encoding a human ataxin-2 polypeptide; Methods of detecting spinocerebellar ataxia-2 nucleic acids; Nucleic acid encoding spinocerebellar ataxia-2 and products related thereto; Shwannomin-binding-proteins; Compositions and methods for spinocerebellar ataxia); has received publishing royalties from The Ataxias (Churchill Livingston, 2007), Genetics in Neurology (ANN Press, 2005), Genetics of Movement Disorders (Academic Press, 2003), Neurogenetics (Oxford University Press, 2000), Molecular Genetic Testing in Neurology, 2nd - 5th (AAN Press, 1996); has served as a consultant for Ataxion Therapeutics; has served on the speakers' bureau for Athena Diagnostics, Inc.; has received governmental research support from National Institutes of Health and the Clinical Research Consortium for Spincerebellar Ataxias; has received foundation/society research support for serving as a fellowship award mentor from National Ataxia Foundation; and has received license fee payments for technology or inventions from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.