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Gene scientist to speak in Ashland Monday May 7, 2001 at 2:00 AM Dec 17, 2010 at 9:20 AM BILL KETTLER Mapping human genes will change life for everyone on earth, but progress won't come without challenges, said a researcher scheduled to speak Tuesday in Ashland. "We will have a serious amount of new power and new choices," said Dr. Paul Billings. "But mistakes will be made and people will be hurt." Billings, who earned his M.D. and a Ph. D. in immunology from Harvard, will speak at 7:30 p.m. in the Rogue River Room at Stevenson Union at Southern Oregon University. His presentation on "The Promise and Pitfalls of the Genetics Revolution" is free and open to the public. "We have great expectations, fueled by a variety of sources," for the revolutionary developments in genetics, Billings said in a telephone interview. "We will have a handle on the biological processes that make (all humans) the same, and the ways we are different." Billings said the human gene research will help people evaluate their risks of contracting gene-related diseases, and help scientists develop new targets for drug design. Drugs could also be customized for individuals. Billings has studied the social uses of genetic information for 10 years. His work helped define public policy on genetic discrimination in the insurance industry. He is a co-founder of GeneSage, a company that helps people make decisions about health-care issues that involve genetics. He said an "empowered, smart consumer class" will need to provide safeguards that protect individual privacy as human genetic information becomes a commercial commodity. The Internet will be the primary source of information for people who become involved in those policy decisions. Using new technology to clone humans fails the "smell test," he said. "It stinks. It should be banned or put on hold for a good long time." Billings said science, like art, functions within values determined by society. "We recognize unfettered art, or science or journalism are essential pillars of our culture. But we don't have to sanction snuff art...In my view, reproductive cloning is a scientific process that's crossed the line. It's very risky. It meets no need that justifies its existence. I would criminalize it, which is what they've done in Japan." Billings said genes have far less a role in human development than environment. He noted that life expectancy has risen dramatically over the past 40 years with no changes in human genes. Americans' IQ has risen steady, too, with no genetic modification. "There's a way that people feel helpless about their genes," he said, noting that people often talk of "good" or "bad" genes. "There is no such thing as good genes or bad genes," he said. "Genes just come in different types. How the body deals with genes determines the outcome." Billings' appearance in Ashland is supported by Sigma Xi, an international scientific and research society with more than 5,000 chapters around the world, including one at Southern Oregon University. Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail