Angelic Doctor Lecture at Newman Centre, Toronto, Canada presented by Fr Nicanor Austriaco, O.P. Synopsis: The discovery of CRISPR/Cas9 has revolutionized our ability to edit genomes, the human genome included. How should Catholics maneuver the ethical landscape of human genetic engineering? I propose that dignity concerns grounded in an account of the intrinsic inestimable worth of the human person should help us to discern virtue in genome editing. Speaker Biography: Rev. Nicanor Pier Giorgio Austriaco, O.P., Ph.D., S.T.D. Rev. Nicanor Austriaco, O.P., completed his Bachelor’s Degree (B.S.E.) in Bioengineering, summa cum laude, at the University of Pennsylvania, and then earned his Ph.D. in Biology from M.I.T. in the laboratory of Professor Leonard Guarente, where he was a fellow of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). He was ordained a priest in the Order of Preachers in May of 2004. He completed his Pontifical License in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) in Moral Theology, summa cum laude, at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC, in 2005, and a Pontifical Doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.), magna cum laude, at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, in 2015. Fr. Austriaco currently serves as Professor of Biology and of Theology at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island. He is also a research fellow at the Center for Religious Studies and Ethics at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines, and director of ThomisticEvolution.org. His NIH-funded laboratory at Providence College is investigating the genetics of programmed cell death using the yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans, as model organisms. Papers describing his research have been published in PLoS ONE, FEMS Yeast Research, Microbial Cell, Cell, the Journal of Cell Biology, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, among others.
0 Comments