Novas tecnologias genéticas: atitudes de jovens adultos brasileiros e desenvolvimento de uma sequência didática através de questão sociocientífica para abordagem em sala de aula

Abstract

The Human Genome Project (HGP) brought the field of genetics even closer to lay society, and entailed the expectation that, by decoding the DNA sequence, we would have supposedly decoded the code of life. But what we discovered was the complexity of the interactions within the genetic system and from the genetic system with other organic systems and the environment up to formation of an organism, with all its characteristics. From that impact, research on human health and medicine making use of genomic knowledge grew in strength, bringing with it the initial idea in the HGP that genes would be responsible, if not exclusively, at least mainly, for determining many traits of organisms, what favored a genetic deterministic view. An important challenge to this view follows, however,m from the limits shown by the very unfoldings of the HGP in relation to the attempt to understand human (and other organisms’) traits based only on the genome. It emerges, thus, the equally important challenge of incorporating in basic and higher education an understanding of the important role and limitations of genomic information in the understanding of human health and medicine. This is especially important in view of the availability of genetic technologies for people to use. The expansion of genetic technologies makes it possible that part of the population begins to have access to its use, bringing the decision about their use or not into discussions within life in society. We used the PUGGS questionnaire (Public Understanding and Attitudes towards Genetics and Genomics) to investigate the attitudes of young Brazilian adults regarding the use of four new gene technologies related to human health: gene therapy, genetic tests, prenatal genetic tests, and personalized medicine and pharmacogenomics. We concluded that this group has positive attitudes towards the use and applications of these technologies, especially when they are used for health purposes and when there is a history of illness in the family. This finding led us to consider the tendency of these young adults to approve the use of these technologies and even to submit themselves to them, sometimes without even being aware of what they are about and what possibilities and limits they bring. This made us engage in a development study of a teaching sequence about these technologies directed to high school students. This sequence is based on a socioscientific question, using as an example the case of Angelina Jolie, who realized a genetic test the results of which led her to undergo a double mastectomy. Thus, we prompt discussions about genetic technologies, allied to alternatives to genetic deterministic thinking, expecting to enable the students to understand that the emergence of characteristics depends on complex interactions between the genetic system and environments at different levels (from inside the cell to the environments outside the human body). We brought the case of the actress closer to the reality of Brazilian health, putting the resolution of the problem more into the context in which the Brazilian students are embedded, in order to mobilize scientific, philosophical, ethical, cultural, political and economic knowledge that affects decision-making by these citizens.