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Celebrating the 50th: UTSA Professor Jenny Hsieh discusses the challenges of preventing disease at the embryonic level in May 28 lecture

Celebrating the 50th: UTSA Professor Jenny Hsieh discusses the challenges of preventing disease at the embryonic level in May 28 lecture

During the May 28 talk, Jenny Hsieh will address instances where she believes that scientists and clinicians may be intervening beyond their scope.

(May 21, 2019) -- Jenny Hsieh, the Semmes Foundation Chair in Cell Biology at UTSA and director of the UTSA Brain Health Consortium, will speak on Tuesday, May 28 about Gene Editing, Precision Medicine and The Ethics of Designer Babies as a part of the UTSA 50th Anniversary Scholars Speakers Series.

As a key faculty member for a top-notch research university, Hsieh has helped lead the gene editing discussion. She defines gene editing as the ability to make base pair changes in DNA with exquisite precision.

“Gene editing is allowing scientists to know the function of each and every gene and it’s paving the way for individualized patient care—personalized medicine,” she said. “But it is also forming questions around preventing disease at the embryonic level and whether we might be doing more harm than good.”

Hsieh will address instances where she believes that scientists and clinicians may be intervening beyond their scope.

“We are navigating ethical questions, debates and dilemmas around disease eradication that 50 years ago would have been purely hypothetical. At times, it feels that scientific advancement moves faster than conversations around moral codes, and it is important to define what we feel is acceptable as a society.”

>> Learn more about UTSA’S Brain Health Consortium.

Hsieh’s hope is that the community will engage in this conversation for the sake of scientific advancement. She believes the talk will appeal to San Antonio citizens, clinicians, researchers, parents and students.

“This is a great way to open conversations in our own backyard about the ethical issues surrounding gene editing and personalized medicine,” Hsieh said. “This topic is very timely. The scientific community is deciding best practices for gene therapy, and I hope the general population has the opportunity to learn, decide and voice their thoughts as well.”

The UTSA researcher sees this month’s event as a starting point to begin discussions on embryonic gene therapy, and hopes to see these discussions become richer with voices from various backgrounds, beliefs and experiences.

Doors to the event will open at 6 p.m. at the South Texas Research Facility, 8403 Floyd Curl Dr.; the talk begins at 6:30. More information is available on UTSA’s Scholars Speakers Series website.

To celebrate 50 years as San Antonio’s urban serving university and to thank San Antonio for its support and commitment to higher education, UTSA is presenting its 50th Anniversary Scholars Speaker Series throughout 2019, featuring experts on a broad range of contemporary issues that impact society today. Each event is free and open to the public.

Pamela Lutrell


Celebrate UTSA’s 50th Anniversary and share social media posts about the 50th using the hashtag #UTSA50.

Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.



UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.


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