Assessing the Sociocultural Impacts of Emerging Molecular Technologies for the Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease

Assessing the Sociocultural Impacts of Emerging Molecular Technologies for the Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease

Novel technologies for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) will impact the way society views and deals with AD and ageing. However, such “sociocultural” impacts are hardly acknowledged in standard approaches of technology assessment. In this paper, we outline three steps to assess such...

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Main Authors: Marianne Boenink, Yvonne Cuijpers, Anna Laura van der Laan, Harro van Lente, Ellen Moors
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2011-01-01
Series:International Journal of Alzheimer's Disease
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.4061/2011/184298
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spelling doaj-5772bfe322394157a2a7a93ab1562b1d2020-11-25T01:08:03ZengHindawi LimitedInternational Journal of Alzheimer's Disease2090-02522011-01-01201110.4061/2011/184298184298Assessing the Sociocultural Impacts of Emerging Molecular Technologies for the Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's DiseaseMarianne Boenink0Yvonne Cuijpers1Anna Laura van der Laan2Harro van Lente3Ellen Moors4Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Behavioral Sciences, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The NetherlandsDepartment of Innovation Studies, University of Utrecht, 3584 CS Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Philosophy, Faculty of Behavioral Sciences, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The NetherlandsDepartment of Innovation Studies, University of Utrecht, 3584 CS Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Innovation Studies, University of Utrecht, 3584 CS Utrecht, The NetherlandsNovel technologies for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) will impact the way society views and deals with AD and ageing. However, such “sociocultural” impacts are hardly acknowledged in standard approaches of technology assessment. In this paper, we outline three steps to assess such broader impacts. First, conceptual analysis of the ideas underlying technological developments shows how these technologies redraw the boundary between Alzheimer's disease and normal ageing and between biological and social approaches of ageing. Second, imaginative scenarios are designed depicting different possible futures of AD diagnosis and societal ways to deal with ageing and the aged. Third, such scenarios enable deliberation on the sociocultural impact of AD diagnostic technologies among a broad set of stakeholders. An early, broad, and democratic assessment of innovations in diagnostics of AD is a valuable addition to established forms of technology assessment.http://dx.doi.org/10.4061/2011/184298
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Marianne Boenink
Yvonne Cuijpers
Anna Laura van der Laan
Harro van Lente
Ellen Moors
spellingShingle Marianne Boenink
Yvonne Cuijpers
Anna Laura van der Laan
Harro van Lente
Ellen Moors
Assessing the Sociocultural Impacts of Emerging Molecular Technologies for the Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease
International Journal of Alzheimer's Disease
author_facet Marianne Boenink
Yvonne Cuijpers
Anna Laura van der Laan
Harro van Lente
Ellen Moors
author_sort Marianne Boenink
title Assessing the Sociocultural Impacts of Emerging Molecular Technologies for the Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease
title_short Assessing the Sociocultural Impacts of Emerging Molecular Technologies for the Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease
title_full Assessing the Sociocultural Impacts of Emerging Molecular Technologies for the Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease
title_fullStr Assessing the Sociocultural Impacts of Emerging Molecular Technologies for the Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the Sociocultural Impacts of Emerging Molecular Technologies for the Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease
title_sort assessing the sociocultural impacts of emerging molecular technologies for the early diagnosis of alzheimer's disease
publisher Hindawi Limited
series International Journal of Alzheimer's Disease
issn 2090-0252
publishDate 2011-01-01
description Novel technologies for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) will impact the way society views and deals with AD and ageing. However, such “sociocultural” impacts are hardly acknowledged in standard approaches of technology assessment. In this paper, we outline three steps to assess such broader impacts. First, conceptual analysis of the ideas underlying technological developments shows how these technologies redraw the boundary between Alzheimer's disease and normal ageing and between biological and social approaches of ageing. Second, imaginative scenarios are designed depicting different possible futures of AD diagnosis and societal ways to deal with ageing and the aged. Third, such scenarios enable deliberation on the sociocultural impact of AD diagnostic technologies among a broad set of stakeholders. An early, broad, and democratic assessment of innovations in diagnostics of AD is a valuable addition to established forms of technology assessment.
url http://dx.doi.org/10.4061/2011/184298
work_keys_str_mv AT marianneboenink assessingthesocioculturalimpactsofemergingmoleculartechnologiesfortheearlydiagnosisofalzheimersdisease
AT yvonnecuijpers assessingthesocioculturalimpactsofemergingmoleculartechnologiesfortheearlydiagnosisofalzheimersdisease
AT annalauravanderlaan assessingthesocioculturalimpactsofemergingmoleculartechnologiesfortheearlydiagnosisofalzheimersdisease
AT harrovanlente assessingthesocioculturalimpactsofemergingmoleculartechnologiesfortheearlydiagnosisofalzheimersdisease
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