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“The starting

point for the network of BIBW2992 cell line Genetics and Democracy at Lund University was a discussion among colleagues on how new research results would affect the possibilities of predicting not only genetic variants in relation to disease but also future behaviour. This discussion was launched when the Nuffield Council on Bioethics in 2002 published its report “Genetics and Human Behaviour—the ethical context”; the subject of the report being human behaviour in the “normal range”, as opposed to traits that are defined as illnesses or diseases (Nuffield Council on Bioethics 2002). Our initial discussions within the group came to be focused upon behaviour and skills, but we soon widened our scope and tried to look into other aspects of genetic issues in relation to legislation, public health, public understanding of science, as well as public participation

in science. It became apparent to us that many of these issues were connected to fundamental BMS202 molecular weight values in Western societies and subsequently to the notion of democracy and democratic rule and governance. In 2007, these discussions led to the formation of the network “Genetics and Democracy at Lund University” with members from the fields of clinical genetics, political science, history, ethnology, sociology, and population genetics Resminostat applying for grants for a series of lectures on this topic. Since 2007, 14 seminars have

been held with distinguished international speakers (Box 1), some of whom have contributed with their presentations as papers to this special issue of the Journal of Community Genetics. We also held an internal half-day seminar presenting ongoing research in the broad field of Genetics and Democracy within Lund University. Box 1. Lecturers and titles in the seminar series Genetics and Democracy at Lund University 2007–2012 1. Adam Hedgecoe, Cardiff University The Politics of Personalised Medicine—Personal genomics, expectations and promissory science 2. Angus Clarke, Cardiff University Genes, Knowledge and Autonomy—Whose Knowledge? What Knowledge? When? 3. Herbert Gottweisa, University of Vienna Operating Biobanks: Towards the Governance of Disappearing Bodies 4. Lene Koch, University of Copenhagen The Politics of Life—past and present use of genetic knowledge 5. Brian Wynne, Lancaster University Does genetics have any democratic public(s)? Normative imaginations and risk discourses in modern genetics and genomics 6.