Global voices of science. When science is not enough: fighting genetic disease in Brazil.

Mayana Zatz Mayana Zatz Brazil Mayana Zatz has had a lifelong calling to help those with genetic disorders, mainly progressive muscular dystrophies. She has done so on fronts ranging from investigating the biomolecular bases of such diseases to establishing social institutions dedicated to improving the lives of those who are living with these afflictions. Except for a 2-year stint of postdoctoral work in neuromuscular diseases at the University of California, Los Angeles, Zatz's academic training and professional life have unfolded at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, where she now directs the university's Human Genome Research Center. In 1981, she founded the Brazilian Muscular Dystrophy Association (ABDIM) to improve the lives of children afflicted with muscular dystrophy, particularly those whose hardship is magnified by poverty. Now with its own clinical center, ABDIM serves more than 100 such children, providing physical therapy, psychological counseling, and training in arts and computer skills. In addition to her biomedical research and ABDIM work, Zatz has long been active in genetic counseling, fully embracing the ethical ambiguities that come with the ability to test for the likely onset of diseases for which there are no cures. In addition, Zatz has become socially active in issues that include the ethical use of genetic tests and the use of embryonic stem cells in research and medicine. Among her awards are the TWAS (The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World) Prize in Basic Medical Sciences, in 2003, and UNESCO/L'Oreal "Women in Sciences" Award, in 2001.