As new couples prepare to start their families, they can access genetic information at their fingertips. The Android phone has an application called Genetic Disorders, documenting 118 genetic diseases. A new iPhone “app” called GeneScreen provides the carrier frequency of 28 specific genetic disorders. It also provides an ancestry map showing which genetic disorders are more commonly found in different regions of the world. These expanded resources provide more information and more choices for couples; but these choices also lead to more ethical quandaries.
“I was in a situation where my husband and I were carriers, and we had an affected child,” said Shari Ungerleider, of Wayne. After Shari and husband Jeffrey lost their son, Evan, age 4, to Tay-Sachs in 1998, she became an advocate for Jewish genetic testing, and now serves as co-president of the New York chapter of the National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases Association, and vice president of the national organization.
If 19 genes are not enough to worry about, there are now companies that have developed approaches to test hundreds of genes at once. Signature Genomics of PerkinElmer Corporation has a new approach to genetic testing that is called the PrenatalChipOS. The technology, which involves a device called a DNA chip or microarray, permits the mass screening of many genes at one time. According to its website, it is “the most comprehensive clinically-relevant oligonucleotide-based microarray for diagnostic use.” The array is able to evaluate “over 200 known genetic syndromes and over 500 gene regions of functional significance in human development.”
Within the charedi [rigidly observant] community, there is a feeling that being a genetic carrier carries a stigma. For that reason, a system was developed as part of the Dor Yeshorim (DY) program that involves genetic testing of young adults before they begin to date, but also maintains a degree of anonymity.
The Dor Yeshorim policy on genetic testing stipulates: “Genetic screenings through DY are offered ONLY to unmarried and unengaged individuals who have not previously tested elsewhere. This protocol was implemented in order to avoid complicated situations that arise for already engaged or married couples who are presented with genetic incompatibility and to protect the confidentiality of all participants.”
It has been called “Star Trek Surgery,” but California-based Intuitive Surgical makes sophisticated surgical robots for the here and now. And thanks to a program supported by the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey’s Partnership2Gether, Israeli doctors will learn how to use the mostly American-made devices with the intention of introducing robotic surgery into Israeli hospitals.
“They’ve sent us doctors to teach us about emergency reponse and we’ve sent them doctors to teach them about bloodless surgery,” said Dr. Deane Penn, describing earlier aspects of the P2K program. This month the program brought two Israeli surgeons to northern New Jersey for the latest initiative, to improve medical practice and technology in Israel by teaching Israeli doctors robotic surgery.
A young woman tells her mother, “I wouldn’t want a husband like you have…. Every time he comes home, we’re running away to hide in our rooms…. Do you like it when he pushes you around like that? I hate it! I’d rather stay out of his way so I don’t have to watch.”
This is a scene from “Confessions,” a video developed by Project S.A.R.A.H. (Stop Abusive Relationships at Home), to teach yeshiva high school girls about domestic abuse. “Most videos are not suitable for yeshivas to show,” said Teaneck resident Elke Stein, Director of the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Service of Project S.A.R.A.H. “We received a grant to develop videos that are religiously appropriate, to be used in these schools.”
A new book, “Breaking the Silence: Sexual Abuse in the Jewish Community” (Ktav), addresses the disturbing, complex, and mostly hidden issue of child abuse in Orthodox Jewish communities.
In the Jewish community, “there’s a sense of secrecy, a sense of shame, as it contradicts the values of the community,” said Dr. David Pelcovitz, the book’s co-editor with David Mandel.
In the Orthodox community, said Pelcovitz, “there’s a tremendous emphasis on respecting authority. Kids may not want to disclose. And there is difficulty in handing in one of your own.”
A recent report by The National Academies, the nation’s top advisory group on science and technology, found that the U.S. ranks 48th out of 133 developed and developing nations in the quality of math and science instruction. Last month a New York Times editorial reacting to the report stated that “too often, science curriculums are grinding and unimaginative.” However, a new nontraditional “Science Research Course” offered by the Frisch School in Paramus appears to be anything but a grind. Through a grant funded by the National Science Foundation and G.E. Healthcare, Frisch has been able to offer “The Waksman Students Scholars Program: HiGene: A Genome Sequencing Project” as a new elective course for its juniors.
Every living thing has a genetic blueprint, called a genome, that determines how the organism is structured and how it works. The genomes of plants and animals are made up of billions of chemical subunits called base pairs, strung together in a sequence unique to each creature. Base pairs are the letters of the genetic alphabet, arranged differently for each gene, like the chapters of a book.
The Human Genome Project has led to the decoding of more than 3 billion base pairs found in human beings. The genomes of other animals, plants, and microorganisms have also been decoded. But the Wolffia australiana (duckweed) genome is still largely unknown, hence the goal of this project is to sequence and analyze, gene by gene, the base pairs of the tiny plant. Some of those genes are similar to those found in other plants and animals and some are used by the plant for its unique functions.
Arnold Balsam, a 40-year resident of Teaneck, is the first Orthodox Jew to serve as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Teaneck’s Holy Name Medical Center, a Catholic institution. Founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace in 1925, Holy Name defines its mission as serving as “a ministry of healing, embracing the tradition of Catholic principles, the pursuit of professional excellence and conscientious stewardship. We help our community achieve the highest attainable level of health through prevention, education, and treatment.”
Dr. Howard Zucker of Cliffside Park recently returned from a week in Haiti, where he used his skills as anesthesiologist and pediatrician to bring sorely needed services to earthquake victims. “It’s very sad,” he said. “It’s amazing how one event could impact every single person you cross paths with.” The Jan. 12 earthquake was estimated to have killed over 200,000, injured hundreds of thousands of others, and left a million people homeless. The magnitude 7 quake destroyed or hopelessly damaged hundreds of thousands of residences and commercial buildings.
Zucker did not join the rescue efforts immediately after the disaster; he understood that weeks and months later there would still be enormous need for medical assistance. “The situation is still difficult,” he said. “In a couple of months the need will still be there. It’s important that people recognize that the needs persist.”
