Alastair Kent is an Adviser to the Progress Educational Trust (PET), Director of Genetic Alliance UK, and Chair of Rare Disease UK. Genetic Alliance UK and Rare Disease UK promote scientific understanding of genetics and rare diseases, and promote the speedy transfer of this new knowledge into improved services and support for the treatment of currently incurable conditions. Previously, Alastair worked for a number of voluntary organisations on issues concerning policy, service development and disabled people. He is coauthor of a chapter in Ethics in Biomedical Research: International Perspectives (buy this book from Amazon UK or Amazon USA).