Susan M. Wolf, JD (University of Minnesota)
Ellen Wright Clayton, MD, JD (Vanderbilt University)
Frances Lawrenz, PhD (University of Minnesota)
Project Description
This innovative 3-year project, based cooperatively at the University of Minnesota and Vanderbilt University, has convened a national Working Group of top legal and scientific experts to analyze current US federal and state law and regulation on translational genomics and to generate consensus guidance on what the law should be. The federal Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) aims to use genomics and other analyses to accelerate development of more powerful and tailored treatments for cancer and other diseases. Yet federal and state genomics law is unclear and poorly understood, presenting a major obstacle to progress.
The project team will build a searchable online database of relevant law and an annotated bibliography for free public access, systematically collect and analyze a range of stakeholder inputs, convene a national public conference, and publish analyses and recommendations to help shape the law to support genomic medicine.
Project Outcomes
- A resource-rich website that includes searchable databases of relevant federal and state laws and secondary sources;
- Consensus recommendations on what genomics law should be in four key domains (liability, quality, privacy & access, and framework);
- Publications by Working Group members offering further targeted analyses;
- Empirical analyses of perceived legal issues facing genomics;
- A 2020 national conference held online on legal barriers to genomic research & precision medicine with archived videos available for free public access;
- A 2019 national conference at the University of Minnesota on the law of genomics with archived videos available for free public access;
- A 2018 national conference at Meharry Medical College on how law can support health equity in genomic medicine with archived videos for free public access;
- A 2017 national conference at the University of Minnesota on the future of informed consent in research and translational medicine with archived videos for free public access;
- A 2018 symposium in the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics on “The Future of Informed Consent in Research & Translational Medicine";
- A 2019 symposium in Ethnicity and Disease on “Law, Genomic Medicine & Health Equity: How Can Law Support Genomics and Precision Medicine to Advance the Health of Underserved Populations?"; and
- A 2020 symposium in the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics on “LawSeqSM: Building a Legal Foundation for Translating Genomics Into Clinical Application."
Media Coverage
- "What Does It Mean When Everyone Can Get Their DNA Sequenced?" Kenneth Miller, Discover (December 22, 2019)
- "See You in Court!" GenomeWeb (May 8, 2019)
- "As Gene Testing Surges, Lawsuits Aren't Far Behind," Jennifer Couzin-Frankel, Science (May 7, 2019)
- "Whom Does Your DNA Belong To? Hint, It's Not Just You," Eoin O'Carroll, Christian Science Monitor (May 6, 2019)
- "The US Urgently Needs New Genetic Privacy Laws," Megan Molteni, Wired (May 1, 2019)
- "Medical DNA Sequencing Leads to Lawsuits and Legal Questions," Jennifer Couzin-Frankel, Science (April 26, 2019)
- "Genomic Medicine: Building the Foundation for Successful Integration into Clinical Care," Susan M. Wolf and Kathryn Grimes, Minnesota Medicine (Nov/Dec 2018)
- "LawSeq Effort Aims to Clarify Issues of Consent, Standards, and Liability in Genomic Medicine," Molika Ashford, GenomeWeb (July 5, 2016)
- "VUMC part of national effort to improve genomic science laws, regulations," Bill Snyder, Research News at Vanderbilt (June 16, 2016)
- "Pioneering study will establish the legal framework for genomic medicine," EurekAlert (June 9, 2016)
Supplemental Materials
These supplemental materials are related to the following paper: Lawrenz F, Cheung FY, Clatch L, Wolf SM, Clayton EW. Key Expert Stakeholder Perceptions of the Law of Genomics. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 2019.