Scientists Say They've Found the Gene that Causes Fraud, Ethics Violations

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http://swiftreport.blogs.com/news/2005/05/scientists_say_.html

 

May 26, 2005

Scientists Say They've Found the Gene that Causes Fraud, Ethics Violations

 

n a major medical breakthrough that could have implications for

corporate and political leaders alike, a team of scientists has

announced that it has identified the genetic mutation that causes

fraud, white collar crime and ethics violations. Scientists say that

individuals who have the genetic disorder are more likely to embezzle

funds, engage in questionable accounting practices and fall prey to

high-profile ethical lapses.

 

Experts say gene therapy could hold the cure for House Majority Leader

Tom DeLay

 

By Hermione Slatkin, health and science correspondent

 

SAN DIEGO, CA—Bernie Ebbers. Dennis Kozlowski. Tom DeLay. They are the

icons for questionable workplace practices that have extorted billions

of dollars from stockholders, launched expensive political

investigations and ultimately cost " Amazing Race " winners Uchenna and

Joyce their jobs.

 

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Personal

 

 

Now, a team of scientists believes that it may finally have unlocked

the mystery of what causes seemingly good men to go bad. The answer,

it seems, is in the genes.

 

A gene for graft

The scientists, working in coordination with the Human Genome Project,

say that they've finally identified what seems to be the genetic

mutation that causes everything from corporate embezzlement to

questionable ethical conduct.

 

The go-to gene, say scientists, is one of the more than 30,000 that

make up the human gene sequence. By comparison, the fruitfly and the

mustard weed, both of which lack the unethical gene, weigh in at

13,000 and 25,000 genes respectively.

 

All it takes is one bad gene

While all humans possess the gene responsible for governing ethical

behavior, it is a relatively rare mutation that causes full-fledged

fraud to develop. " We're talking about a tiny percentage of cases

where the gene has deteriorated to the extent that the disease

manifests itself, " says Dr. David Orlofsky, lead genomics experts at

the Center for Structural Genomics. " Unfortunately, the cases where

you do have deleterious genes often lead to behaviors that saddle

society with a huge burden. It's this relatively small number of

people with the disease who are defrauding shareholders and talking

bribes from lobbyists. "

 

Dr. Orlofsky and his team spent 3 years studying the gene before they

identified the marker for what genetics experts are calling Crony's

disease.

 

Gay_dna_2

 

Predicting ethical lapses

In recent years, genomics, the study of how genomes orchestrate the

flow of information within cells, has taken off, facilitated by

bioinformatics, the use of computers to process the huge amount of

data that genomics is generating. And along the way, scientists have

identified thousands of genetic markers linked to mutated genes

associated with a range of medical problems.

 

Scientists say that they can identify the presence of the mutated gene

that causes Crony's disease through a single drop of blood. A sample

taken from House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, for example, will be

placed on a special slide and read by a laser. Within minutes, doctors

will be able to determine whether the congressman's ethical lapses

have a genetic basis. " I would imagine that even thought this is still

pretty experimental stuff, Mr. DeLay will be relieved to get a

diagnosis, " says Dr. Orlofsky. " At that point he can truthfully say

that his genes made him do it. "

 

A cure for corruption

Mr. DeLay and others who are diagnosed as having the genetic disorder

also have a treatment option: experimental gene therapy in which

healthy genes are inserted into the genome to replace the offending,

disease-causing gene. Using a carrier molecule known as a vector, the

non-corrupt gene will be delivered to the Majority's Leader's target

cells. If the new gene 'takes,' the cells are restored to their

original, ethical state, before the gene began to mutate, causing

fraud, corruption and ethical violations.

 

Who cheats?

Scientists say that their next step will be to identify the conditions

under which the gene that dictates ethical behavior begins to mutate

and otherwise 'go bad.' They say that they may also press for

widespread testing in order to predict who will go on to develop

Crony's disease. Initial testing is likely to center on high-risk

sectors of the population, including office-seekers and holders of

both political parties, evangelical preachers, major league baseball

players and business school graduates.

 

For more information about treatment options, or to share your

experience with Crony's disease, write to hermioneslatkin.