WSJ OpEd from Other Papers for M Gerstein

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[http://archive.gersteinlab.org/mark/out/log/2013/06.29/genomicprism-usa-today-oped/Your-DNA-vulnerable-to-snooping-too.genomicprism.simple.txt TEXT],  
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[http://archive.gersteinlab.org/mark/out/log/2012/09.01/oped/Pistorius-oped-wsj-reprint.txt TEXT],  
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==== Wiki Text of OPED ====
==== Wiki Text of OPED ====
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Your DNA vulnerable to snooping, too?
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The Age of Genetically Optimized Sports
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We are entering a brave new world of athletes-by-design.
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Dov Greenbaum, and Mark Gerstein 5:46 p.m. EDT June 27, 2013
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By DOV GREENBAUM AND MARK B. GERSTEIN
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The science-fiction imagery of 1984 or Minority Report comes to mind amid the unprecedented revelations describing the National Security Agency's sweeping surveillance programs to data mine personal information on people in the U.S. and snoop on our allies.
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The eyes of the world will be on Oscar Pistorius when he competes at the London Olympics. Mr. Pistorius, a double amputee who runs with the aid of carbon-fiber artificial legs, will contest the 400-meter sprint and the 4 x 400-meter relay against non-disabled athletes.
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Imagine combining these dystopian realities with Gattaca, where in addition to trawling our personal communications, the government mines our genomes as well.
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Mr. Pistorius, and others like him, present a real dilemma for sports competitions: When does an artificial enhancement become an unfair advantage?
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An international consortium of genomic researchers across 41 countries potentially moved us a step closer to such a reality when it announced this month a new data-sharing agreement for the expected deluge of human genomes to be sequenced in the near future as the cost falls to levels of an MRI.
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Lasik eye surgery can give an athlete better than average vision. Elbow joints can be reconstructed with stronger ligaments. Swimsuits may reduce friction in water. Oxygen tents can boost cardiovascular capacity. While sports organizations typically draw the line at taking performance-enhancing drugs, such as steroids, these other apparent enhancements are permitted by most major sports associations.
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In one sense, this agreement is highly beneficial. Large genomic databases are integral to mapping and shedding light on the genetic basis of disease and for developing drugs.
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Yet retired American sprinter Michael Johnson spoke for many when he claimed that "because we don't know for sure whether [Mr. Pistorius] gets an advantage from the prosthetics that he wears it is unfair to the able-bodied competitors."
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Science vs. social media
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Of course top athletes are often defined by their success in a genetic lottery that granted them natural yet "unfair" advantages over their peers.
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Moreover, it's worth noting that Big Brother and Big Genomics aren't the only ones collecting Big Data on you. Retailers analyze consumer shopping habits to the extent that they can often predict a pregnancy, and researchers have been able to determine probable gender, ethnicity, religion and other personal information from just your likes on Facebook.
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Even more radical changes are on the way. Future developments in genetics, particularly as a result of the growing personal genomics industry, will allow individuals to sequence and partially decipher their own genomes. This will draw public awareness to genetics in athletics, creating a paradigm shift in our appreciation of the quality of competition in sports. Genomics may eventually accentuate the inequality among athletes, allowing those with genomic knowledge to better focus their abilities and strengths.
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Further, the younger generation has already made it socially acceptable to embrace information-sharing technology. With the torrent of real-time data gushing from our smartphones, the concept of privacy is still evolving and raises the question of whether the information available to researchers mining DNA databases will be any more personal, revealing or detrimental than what we already disclose unwittingly through social media.
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Some companies that sequence human genomes already claim to be able to identify genetic sports-related health risks and the genes that maximize individual athletic potential. In fact, sports may be one of the first really successful applications of personal genomics, as it presents some potentially simple genetic correlations, given easily identifiable physical traits in successful athletes.
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Perhaps. Cables uncovered by WikiLeaks already suggest that Big Brother's intrusive interests extend past compiling electronic communications and include exploring DNA of foreign diplomats. Unchecked, a number of troubling scenarios could result from a government with access to vast genomic databases.
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Thanks to a greater popular appreciation of the genetics behind athleticism coupled with advances in genetic manipulation, we may soon see athletes-by-design, either from conception or a childhood tailored to sports for which the budding athlete is already genetically optimized. Will society discriminate against the athlete whose parents selected a child with superhuman resting and maximum heart rates, a disproportionate arm span or double-jointed ankles? After all, these super-competitive traits were naturally endowed to Lance Armstrong and Michael Phelps.
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For example, just as spymasters now use the "data exhaust" from our cellphone and e-mail traffic to track targeted individuals, they could in the future use DNA from bits of shed hair and skin to follow someone's movements.
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The genomics industry will introduce transparency into an otherwise opaque system, eventually allowing athletes, fans and spectators alike to pull back the curtain and look under the genetic hood. By taking away much of the mystery of athletic talent through correlating athleticism with observable genetic variations, and bringing that technology to the masses, science will eventually prove to the public just how uneven the playing field already is.
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Moreover, analyzing a small segment of someone's DNA could be used to disclose medical conditions or to plant incriminating synthesized DNA at a crime scene ? both blackmail scenarios.
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Genome analyses may be able to predict athletic prowess and the likelihood of sport-related illnesses and injuries. But such knowledge will likely come at the expense of privacy.
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Finally, there is the future potential of a biological weapon designed to target a particular group or even an individual based on unique genetic variants.
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Coaches and fans today demand to know players' height, weight and other pertinent statistics. Tomorrow, they might insist on knowing athletes' genomic sequences to determine how they have leveraged their genetic gifts.
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DNA research benefits, too
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Analyzing genomes raises numerous non-trivial ethical challenges, with an inevitable shift to viewing athletic accomplishment through the prism of genetics. Whereas traditionally one's medical records are thought to be private information, we may soon see organizations divulging their athletes' genome sequences in the interest of transparency just as athletes' drug-testing results eventually become public knowledge and fodder.
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These potential abuses notwithstanding, just as we acquiesce to the cataloging of our data by large corporations in exchange for fast Internet searches or grudgingly submit ourselves to being watched by the NSA in the hopes of preventing terrorism, we should promote vast collections of DNA as powerful tools to combat disease.
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Mr. Pistorius is thus at an athletic and scientific vanguard. He may catalyze a whole new way of looking at sports when he runs, and perhaps finds success, among his able-bodied peers.
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Mining large DNA databases has uncovered genes associated with numerous diseases, including macular degeneration and diabetes, and it has enabled targeted treatments for cancer patients.
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Mr. Greenbaum, an intellectual property attorney and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University, is a non-resident fellow at Stanford University's Center for Law and the Biosciences. Mr. Gerstein is a professor of biomedical informatics at Yale University.
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Now, the public needs to be reassured not only that threats of government exploitation are held in check, but also that the more pedestrian concerns of leaks to employers, insurance providers, or even friends are prevented.
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A version of this article appeared July 24, 2012, on page A13 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: The Age of Genetically Optimized Sports.
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How? Technological solutions alone are unlikely to work, and private databases have become increasingly vulnerable to hackers. Better is a hybrid social-and-technological approach. Codes of conduct, regulatory oversight and punitive threats typically keep data-mining financial organizations in line.
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Oversight by a non-governmental agency could similarly protect our genomic data. Additionally, professional licensing, and requiring continuing bioethical and computer security education, could function on a more individual level.
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Science fiction movies were entertaining because of their futuristic imagery and seemingly implausible story lines. But as the NSA snooping scandal and the advances in genomics have shown, science is no longer just fiction.
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Revision as of 01:14, 30 June 2013

D Greenbaum & M Gerstein (2012). "The Age of Genetically Optimized Sports", Wall Street Journal, July 24, Page A13 (Opinion)

Link to original article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443437504577544760132413258.html

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Wiki Text of OPED

The Age of Genetically Optimized Sports We are entering a brave new world of athletes-by-design.

By DOV GREENBAUM AND MARK B. GERSTEIN

The eyes of the world will be on Oscar Pistorius when he competes at the London Olympics. Mr. Pistorius, a double amputee who runs with the aid of carbon-fiber artificial legs, will contest the 400-meter sprint and the 4 x 400-meter relay against non-disabled athletes.

Mr. Pistorius, and others like him, present a real dilemma for sports competitions: When does an artificial enhancement become an unfair advantage?

Lasik eye surgery can give an athlete better than average vision. Elbow joints can be reconstructed with stronger ligaments. Swimsuits may reduce friction in water. Oxygen tents can boost cardiovascular capacity. While sports organizations typically draw the line at taking performance-enhancing drugs, such as steroids, these other apparent enhancements are permitted by most major sports associations.

Yet retired American sprinter Michael Johnson spoke for many when he claimed that "because we don't know for sure whether [Mr. Pistorius] gets an advantage from the prosthetics that he wears it is unfair to the able-bodied competitors."

Of course top athletes are often defined by their success in a genetic lottery that granted them natural yet "unfair" advantages over their peers.

Even more radical changes are on the way. Future developments in genetics, particularly as a result of the growing personal genomics industry, will allow individuals to sequence and partially decipher their own genomes. This will draw public awareness to genetics in athletics, creating a paradigm shift in our appreciation of the quality of competition in sports. Genomics may eventually accentuate the inequality among athletes, allowing those with genomic knowledge to better focus their abilities and strengths.

Some companies that sequence human genomes already claim to be able to identify genetic sports-related health risks and the genes that maximize individual athletic potential. In fact, sports may be one of the first really successful applications of personal genomics, as it presents some potentially simple genetic correlations, given easily identifiable physical traits in successful athletes.

Thanks to a greater popular appreciation of the genetics behind athleticism coupled with advances in genetic manipulation, we may soon see athletes-by-design, either from conception or a childhood tailored to sports for which the budding athlete is already genetically optimized. Will society discriminate against the athlete whose parents selected a child with superhuman resting and maximum heart rates, a disproportionate arm span or double-jointed ankles? After all, these super-competitive traits were naturally endowed to Lance Armstrong and Michael Phelps.

The genomics industry will introduce transparency into an otherwise opaque system, eventually allowing athletes, fans and spectators alike to pull back the curtain and look under the genetic hood. By taking away much of the mystery of athletic talent through correlating athleticism with observable genetic variations, and bringing that technology to the masses, science will eventually prove to the public just how uneven the playing field already is.

Genome analyses may be able to predict athletic prowess and the likelihood of sport-related illnesses and injuries. But such knowledge will likely come at the expense of privacy.

Coaches and fans today demand to know players' height, weight and other pertinent statistics. Tomorrow, they might insist on knowing athletes' genomic sequences to determine how they have leveraged their genetic gifts.

Analyzing genomes raises numerous non-trivial ethical challenges, with an inevitable shift to viewing athletic accomplishment through the prism of genetics. Whereas traditionally one's medical records are thought to be private information, we may soon see organizations divulging their athletes' genome sequences in the interest of transparency just as athletes' drug-testing results eventually become public knowledge and fodder.

Mr. Pistorius is thus at an athletic and scientific vanguard. He may catalyze a whole new way of looking at sports when he runs, and perhaps finds success, among his able-bodied peers.

Mr. Greenbaum, an intellectual property attorney and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University, is a non-resident fellow at Stanford University's Center for Law and the Biosciences. Mr. Gerstein is a professor of biomedical informatics at Yale University.

A version of this article appeared July 24, 2012, on page A13 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: The Age of Genetically Optimized Sports.

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