Biomarkers in Neoplastic Neuropathology by Fausto Rodriguez & Cheng-Ying Ho

Author:Fausto Rodriguez & Cheng-Ying Ho
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Cham

Ethical Considerations

In addition to technical issues related to the physical integrity and quality of biospecimens, ethical issues should be an important consideration in all biobanking activities. Biobanks need to ensure that specimens are collected, stored, and accessed with consistent oversight and in accordance with ethical standards [16]. Key ethical issues include respecting the autonomy of human subjects, protecting human subjects from breaches of privacy and confidentiality, and minimizing individual and group harms [17]. Custodianship of specimens and associated data is also a major ethical concern. Custodianship does not entail the right to ownership but acknowledges that a biospecimen is donated as a “gift” with an intention to advance science for the benefit of society [16]. Therefore, it is important for biobanks and investigators to carefully eliminate any potential or existing financial conflicts of interest (COIs). To further address the issues of custodianship, including considerations for research participants, investigators, and institutions; financial COIs; intellectual property; and access to products and benefits, NCI held the “Custodianship and Ownership Issues in Biospecimen Research Symposium-Workshop” in 2007. Recommendations from the symposium are helpful resources for biobanks and investigators that are committed to best practices of biospecimen research. These ethical principles should be considered in conjunction with the objective of the research project and the mission of the biospecimen resource to determine the most appropriate operational policies for individual biobanks [14].

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