Crossing Over: Genomics in the Public Arena

Alan Belk, Ph.D., is a sessional instructor in the Philosophy Department
at the University of Guelph.

Crossing Over is a collection of papers presented at a conference in
Kananaskis, Alberta, in April 2003. The title is a metaphor derived from
the process of meiosis to suggest that the individual views of a
cross-disciplinary collection of researchers can present something new,
albeit derived from existing and varied ideas. Despite the efforts of
the editors and contributors in arranging the contributions and
surrounding them with an introduction and a conclusion, I still feel
that I have to create my own coherent story, which may be only loosely
determined by the contents of the book.

The story I created has to do with trust, particularly the trust— or
lack of it—that the public places in the media, genomic researchers,
government, and the genomics biz. Some examples. One contribution is
titled “Involving Communities: A Matter of Trust and Communication.”
In the section titled “The Media Sphere,” it is claimed that the
public does not trust the media, although the media fairly represent
what scientists and researchers publish and the public does trust
scientists. In Canada, there is “a general mistrust of government
regulators and politicians.” The Icelandic Health Sector Database may
never be created because Icelanders distrust their government, “which
has made the interests of deCODE its own interests”—a lesson not
lost on those who are working on Quebec’s CARTaGENE project or the
United Kingdom’s Biobank. The life of a genomics company CEO is spent
raising capital on the basis of selling a wonderful future product. The
most likely inducement for trust is openness and informed public debate.

Crossing Over is valuable in terms of what it says and what it
addresses, but it is not intended for a general audience. Moreover, it
is time for books such as this one, excellently designed and produced as
it is, to be published online only.