Defining public attitudes and understanding of human gene therapy in Australia

Defining public attitudes and understanding of human gene therapy in Australia

Author: Michel Watson – Australian National University, Australia

At a time where gene-editing tools and technology are becoming more efficient and cheaper, human gene therapy has never been more readily available to the public. It is therefore crucial to understand the public’s attitudes and awareness surrounding this technology in order to better align our regulations and policy with what Australian citizens deem acceptable. A national online survey was published late 2017 to assess the Australian publics’ attitude towards, and currently held beliefs of human gene therapy. A summary of the results from this survey will be presented at the 2018 Public Communication of Science and Technology Conference, Dunedin. As this therapy raises clear risks and ethics which will affect all citizens, the public must be allowed to have their say in the future regulations of this therapy. This survey will help contribute to the development of policy around the regulation of human gene therapy technology and its practices in Australia.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Individual paper
Theme: Society
Area of interest: Influencing policies through science communication