In Utero: A Podcast on Prenatal Genetic Technologies

Watercolor drawing depicting a uterus as a scale with different pharmaceuticals and flowers being weighed, and a fetus with a genome, blood cells and scissors.

Project Overview

Pregnancy and the anticipation of what to expect has never been more complicated. The next decade of the genome era will see significant improvements in genetic testing and molecular and gene therapy, with in utero applications holding the potential to prevent genetic disease altogether. However, technological innovation is outpacing examination of the broader ethical and social implications and efforts to engage prospective patients and the public. Families are too often left on their own to navigate emerging evidence and inadequate support systems. 

This podcast will serve as a patient and clinical resource, public engagement tool, and experimental community-engaged research activity. It will center patient stories while bringing in professional expertise in medicine, science, and ethics. It will invite reflection on different perspectives, and support prospective families in their decision-making when faced with complicated pregnancies. Members of the wider public will be invited to complete a poll that ascertains views and values before and after listening to particular episodes.

Recording is already underway! Stay tuned for information on a release date!

Lead Investigator

Headshot of Julia Brown in front of a white wall

Julia Brown, PhD

Affiliated Faculty

UC San Francisco Humanities & Social Sciences in the School of Medicine
Kavli Center for Ethics, Science, and the Public

Collaborating PI

Lea Witkowsky, PhD

A Resource for Decision-making

The podcast will serve as a resource for those considering whether to make use of the technologies covered in the series by prodivding information and access to lived experience and exposure to different views and expertise.

A Public Engagement Tool

Episodes aim to provide value both to those navigating prenatal technologies, and those who may not have heard of these technologies. By inviting prospective patients, families, and the general public into conversations happening in the clinic and between experts, this podcast hopes to be a jumping-off point for enabling public discourse on these technologies. 

A Research Activity

The research team aims to evaluate the utility of podcast storytelling (compared to other types of information distribution) as a tool to facilitate understanding and appreciation of complex ethical issues around emerging technologies using polling and mixed methods. 

This podcast is supported by the National Human Genome Research Insitute (4R00HG012379-03) and is produced in collaboration with the Kavli Center for Ethics, Science, and the Public.