Dr. Eugene Mellican’s research interests revolve around a host of politically charged and complex ethical and public policy issues generated by the advances in molecular biology and genetics.  These include such topics as embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, pre-implantation embryonic genetic screening, gene therapy, genetic testing, privacy and the control of genetic information. While scientific advances were ushering in a new era of genomics, the practice of science itself was undergoing radical changes, challenging the traditional ethos of science and its capacity to function effectively as an internal, self-regulating system.  These changes and the current trend toward the politicizing of science present their own set of ethical and legal problems which are also of particular interest to Dr. Mellican.