The National Human Genome Research Institute, in collaboration with several other NIH Institutes and Offices, recently renewed the three Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) used to support investigator-initiated research on the ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of human genome research. Program officers from the NHGRI ELSI Program hosted an online webinar to provide an overview of the funding opportunities:
Using the arts in ELSI research can offer new insights and opportunities to engage with diverse participants in genomic research. ELSI scholars have creatively incorporated comics and whiteboard video to educate participants about issues such as consent and return of results and to convey concepts of biorepository research.
This November 2020 white paper from the All of Us Research Program, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), details key insights from the 2019 ELSI Research Priorities Workshop and outlines a plan to operationalize the identified priorities.
ELSI scholarship is constantly evolving as new technologies raise new ethical challenges and questions. For younger scholars in the field, this presents ample opportunity to explore original topics and carve out their own areas of expertise. We recently spoke with three ELSI scholars about their experiences as trainees and where they are now in their careers.
The ELSI program in the Department of Genetics at the University Medical Center Groningen investigates the ethical, economic, psychological, social, and legal implications of genetic technologies, as well as methods of diagnostics, counselling and screening. The goal of the ELSI program is to explore how genetic technologies can be quickly and responsibly to benefit patients and the public. The program also serves to identify any gaps (e.g. financial or legal) in need of addressing before responsible implementation can take place.