This compilation of video segments provides a wide-ranging look inside genetic science and its relationship with state-of-the-art medicine. Case studies and expert interviews take viewers through recent genetic breakthroughs as well as their moral, ethical, and legal implications.

The episodes are:

In the Blood: In this report, doctors attempt to use a leukemia patient’s own bone marrow as a source of life-saving stem cells.

Sickle Cell Anemia: The most common genetic disease in America is also one of the most painful and debilitating. But an experiment on mice has raised hopes with an anti-sickling gene therapy.

Using a Killer to Cure: This segment highlights work at MIT and Harvard to combat sickle-cell anemia—with a therapy derived from HIV. Transitioning from mice to human clinical trials is discussed.

Decoding Malaria: Increasingly drug-resistant and adaptable, malaria is a formidable foe. This report shows how scientists have cracked malaria’s code and can begin to read its battle plans.

Tissues with Issues: What if transplant candidates didn’t have to wait for organs? This segment spotlights pioneering attempts at tissue engineering.

Diabetes Cause and Cure: Scientists at the University of Washington have found the genetic source of Type 1 diabetes—the most severe form of the disease. And they owe their discovery to a very special rat.

Broken Hearts: Thousands of people die every year while waiting for a suitable heart transplant. In lieu of a human donor, scientists are working on three other solutions: the mechanical heart, the pig heart xenograft, and tissue engineering.

Longer Life for Livers: Damaged hearts and livers can remain functional with the help of machines, but the liver has no such support system—until now. This report looks at a device called MARS or Molecular Absorbent Recirculation System, the success of which will depend on genetic engineering.

The Test: Women are now regularly tested for breast cancer genes—sometimes leading to unusual choices. This segment profiles a woman who underwent a radical mastectomy, although she had shown no signs of cancer.

(73 minutes)