National DNA Day Essay Contest and Survey Highlight Need for Genetic Science Education

BETHESDA, Md., April 25 /PRNewswire/ -- In commemoration of National DNA Day, the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG), the Genetics Society of America (GSA) and Applied Biosystems , an Applera Corporation business, today announced the winners of the first National DNA Day high school essay contest as part of an expanded effort to help raise awareness among the general public, students and teachers about the need for more extensive genetic science education and the value of human genetics research. The winning essayists, selected from more than 1,200 entries spanning 34 states across the country, were announced during the National DNA Day online chat (http://www.genome.gov/DNADay) and on ASHG's Web site (http://www.genednet.org/).

A new U.S. consumer survey* of 2,256 adults found that those who are familiar with the Human Genome Project, which mapped out human DNA, are likely to believe that the project could result in positive benefits to human health. For instance, 54 percent of those adults familiar with the Human Genome Project believe that cures for diseases such as cancer and diabetes could be found in the next 15 years as a result of the project. On the other hand, less than one in ten (9 percent) parents of school-aged children believe that studying genetics is absolutely essential to their child's high school education.

"When the public understands the work being done in genetic science, they see how the research can benefit the human condition," said Joann Boughman, Ph.D., executive vice president of ASHG. "In order to make the potential of genetic research a reality, we need to ensure that future genetic scientists are trained in our schools today. To achieve that goal, we are launching our expanded effort to raise awareness about the value of genetic science education and human genetics research."

As part of their National DNA Day activities, ASHG, along with GSA and Applied Biosystems, invited high school students across the country to submit written essays on one of two questions: (1) Why is it important for everyone to know about DNA and genetics? and (2) If you were a genetics researcher, what would you like to study and why? ASHG and GSA members, in conjunction with representatives from Applied Biosystems, the sole corporate sponsor, judged the essays on the basis of critical thinking, scientific accuracy, creativity and organization.

Jocelyn Lam of King's High School in Bothell, Washington and Alaina K. Hahn in Tualatin High School in Tualatin, Oregon each won a $350 grand prize for their essays on the first and second questions, respectively. Miss Lam wrote about the current and potential future applications of human genetics, while Hahn's essay focused on a rare genetic condition called Alagille Syndrome (AGS), which causes abnormal development of many organs in the body such as the liver, heart and kidneys. Applied Biosystems also awarded a total $5,000 worth of laboratory research equipment to the essay winners' teachers, Sharon Santucci and John Kahle, to help support genetics and biotechnology education in their classrooms.

National DNA Day events are a collaboration of the NIH's National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), ASHG, GSA, the Genetic Alliance, the National Society of Genetic Counselors and Applied Biosystems.

"Over the past 25 years, we have been making research discoveries at a rapid pace. However, it is critical that the genetics community also raise awareness about how genetics research today can improve tomorrow's healthcare," remarked Dennis A. Gilbert, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Applied Biosystems. "Universities, hospitals, private and public companies, policy makers and professional organizations like ASHG and GSA are essential to this effort. If the public is uninformed, confused or afraid of genetics research, progress is less likely to find a clinical home."

The ASHG mentor network is another resource that helps educate students and teachers about the value of genetic science. Comprised of more than 1,200 genetic scientists, clinicians, counselors and advocates, the mentor network works year-round to provide genetic science education opportunities in K - 12 classrooms, at ASHG's annual scientific meeting and at various national teacher conferences. ASHG mentors are also available to respond to student and teacher inquiries about genetic topics, identify educational resources on genetics or visit classrooms to speak with students about the role genetics play in everyone's lives. Teachers can search ASHG's Web site for genetics mentors by region and/or area of specialty.

Teachers, students and parents can also use ASHG's online genetic clearinghouse database to find genetic education teaching standards, searchable by grade or topic, for all 50 states and Canada. Parents, students and educators can find out more about recommended genetic science education standards for their state, including interactive lesson plans, genetic science activities and educational resources at http://www.genednet.org/.

For more information on the essay contest or ASHG's genetic clearinghouse database, contact Dr. Kenna Shaw (kshaw@ashg.org.), director of education at ASHG.

About National DNA Day

First celebrated to mark the 50th anniversary of James Watson's and Francis Crick's discovery of DNA's double helix structure, National DNA Day occurs annually on April 25 to commemorate the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003. Private and public companies, genetics researchers, clinicians, citizen advocates, hospitals and professional organizations conduct various activities on National DNA Day to help inspire the next generation of scientists who will use the human genome sequence to benefit personal and public health. National DNA Day is sponsored by the American Society of Human Genetics (http://www.genednet.org/), the National Human Genome Research Institute (http://www.genome.gov/), the Genetics Society of America (GSA) (http://www.genetics-gsa.org/), the Genetic Alliance (http://www.geneticalliance.org/), the National Society of Genetic Counselors (http://www.nsgc.org/) and Applied Biosystems (http://www.appliedbiosystems.com/).

About American Society of Human Genetics

Founded in 1948, the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) is the primary professional membership organization for human geneticists in North America. The nearly 8,000 members include researchers, academicians, clinicians, laboratory practice professionals, genetic counselors, nurses and others involved in or with special interest in human genetics. The principal objectives of ASHG are: (l) provide venues to bring investigators opportunities to share their research findings in the many areas of endeavors in human genetics; (2) inform health professionals, legislators, health policy makers and the general public about all aspects of human genetics; and (3) facilitate interactions between geneticists and other communities including policy makers, industry, educators, and patient and public advocacy groups. For more information, please visit http://www.genednet.org/.

About Genetics Society of America

Founded in 1931, the Genetics Society of America (GSA) includes over 4,000 scientists and educators interested in the field of genetics. The Society promotes the communication of advances in genetics through publication of the journal GENETICS, and by sponsoring scientific meetings focused on key organisms widely used in genetic research. The GSA supports genetic science education for students of all ages and advocates for genetic science research funding via the Joint Steering Committee, an organization of several scientific societies that informs Congress about the importance of scientific research. The GSA also seeks to preserve the intellectual heritage of the field of genetics by publishing historical articles in GENETICS and by producing video interviews of notable geneticists, which are now available on DVD under the title, Conversations in Genetics. For more information, please visit http://www.genetics-gsa.org/.

About Applera Corporation and Applied Biosystems

Applera Corporation consists of two operating groups. The Applied Biosystems Group serves the life science industry and research community by developing and marketing instrument-based systems, consumables, software, and services. Customers use these tools to analyze nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), small molecules, and proteins to make scientific discoveries and develop new pharmaceuticals. Applied Biosystems' products also serve the needs of some markets outside of life science research, which we refer to as "applied markets," such as the fields of: human identity testing (forensic and paternity testing); biosecurity, which refers to products needed in response to the threat of biological terrorism and other malicious, accidental, and natural biological dangers; and quality and safety testing, for example in food and the environment. Applied Biosystems is headquartered in Foster City, CA, and reported sales of nearly $1.8 billion during fiscal 2005. The Celera Genomics Group is focused on discovery, development, and commercialization of diagnostic products as well as leveraging its proteomic, bioinformatic, and genomic capabilities to identify and validate drug targets, and is also seeking to advance therapeutic antibody and selected small molecule drug programs in collaboration with global technology and market leaders. Information about Applera Corporation, including reports and other information filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is available at http://www.applera.com/, or by telephoning 800.762.6923. Information about Applied Biosystems is available at http://www.appliedbiosystems.com/.

* Survey Methodology - Harris Interactive(R) fielded the online survey on behalf of the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) and Applied Biosystems between April 14 and April 18, 2006 among a nationwide sample of 2,256 U.S. adults 18 years of age or older, of whom 494 are the parent or legal guardian of a child in pre-school, kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, or high school. The data were weighted to be representative of the total U.S. adult population on the basis of region, age within gender, education, household income, race/ethnicity and propensity to be online. In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results for the overall sample of adults have a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The sampling error for parents of a school-aged child is plus or minus 7 percentage points. This online sample is not a probability sample.

Media Contact: Jane Doran Salomon, MS American Society of Human Genetics E-mail: jsalomon@ashg.org Phone: 301-634-7308 Eric Doyle Cohn & Wolfe eric_doyle@cohnwolfe.com Phone: 415-365-8526 Cell: 415-531-0212