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Al-Ebbini LMK, Khabour OF, Alzoubi KH, Alkaraki AK. Ethical issues in bio-sample sharing among the public in Jordan. Heliyon 2021; 7:e06316. [PMID: 33665460 PMCID: PMC7905346 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Revised: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Among the challenges of health research are sharing and the future use of human biological samples. Usually, participants show different opinions and ethical concerns regarding the usage and sharing of their biological samples. In this study, we investigated the perspectives of Jordanian participants regarding bio-samples collection, storage, use, and sharing. Methods The study is cross sectional, questionnaire-based, and involved 248 participants from Jordan. Data collected included demographic, qualitative, and quantitative information from research participants. The questionnaire was accomplished in the Arabic language and data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. Results Most of the participants (77%) supported providing samples for research purposes. Yet, they expressed concerns about the future use of their samples (27.8%), storage of their bio-samples after first use (19%), and export of the bio-samples outside of the country (27%). They further indicated that they will not mind if profits are generated from the samples (36.7%). On the other hand, about 18.5% would be very unhappy and would sue the researchers if their bio-samples were reused without their consent. Conclusions and Recommendation Participants showed strong views on specimen collection, storage, export, benefit sharing and future usage - most significantly on the consent process that permits free choices. Further research should be conducted to explore the concept of bio-samples donation and the benefit of sharing among researchers in Jordan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina M K Al-Ebbini
- Department of Biomedical Systems and Informatics Engineering, Hijjawi for Engineering Technology, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21163, Jordan
| | - Omar F Khabour
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
| | - Karem H Alzoubi
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
| | - Almuthanna K Alkaraki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Yarmouk University, Irbid, 21163, Jordan
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Moodley K, Sibanda N, February K, Rossouw T. "It's my blood": ethical complexities in the use, storage and export of biological samples: perspectives from South African research participants. BMC Med Ethics 2014; 15:4. [PMID: 24447822 PMCID: PMC3909375 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6939-15-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2013] [Accepted: 01/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The use of biological samples in research raises a number of ethical issues in relation to consent, storage, export, benefit sharing and re-use of samples. Participant perspectives have been explored in North America and Europe, with only a few studies reported in Africa. The amount of research being conducted in Africa is growing exponentially with volumes of biological samples being exported from the African continent. In order to investigate the perspectives of African research participants, we conducted a study at research sites in the Western Cape and Gauteng, South Africa. Methods Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire that captured both quantitative and qualitative information at 6 research sites in South Africa. Interviews were conducted in English and Afrikaans. Data were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Results Our study indicates that while the majority of participants were supportive of providing samples for research, serious concerns were voiced about future use, benefit sharing and export of samples. While researchers view the provision of biosamples as a donation, participants believe that they still have ownership rights and are therefore in favour of benefit sharing. Almost half of the participants expressed a desire to be re-contacted for consent for future use of their samples. Interesting opinions were expressed with respect to export of samples. Conclusions Eliciting participant perspectives is an important part of community engagement in research involving biological sample collection, export, storage and future use. A tiered consent process appears to be more acceptable to participants in this study. Eliciting opinions of researchers and research ethics committee (REC) members would contribute multiple perspectives. Further research is required to interrogate the concept of ownership and the consent process in research involving biological samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keymanthri Moodley
- Centre for Medical Ethics and Law, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
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O’Doherty KC, Burgess MM. Public deliberation to develop ethical norms and inform policy for biobanks: Lessons learnt and challenges remaining. RESEARCH ETHICS REVIEW 2013. [DOI: 10.1177/1747016113488858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Public participation is increasingly an aspect of policy development in many areas, and the governance of biomedical research is no exception. There are good reasons for this: biomedical research relies on public funding; it relies on biological samples and information from large numbers of patients and healthy individuals; and the outcomes of biomedical research are dramatically and irrevocably changing our society. There is thus arguably a democratic imperative for including public values in strategic decisions about the governance of biomedical research. However, it is not immediately clear how this might best be achieved. While different approaches have been proposed and trialled, we focus here on the use of public deliberation as a mechanism to develop input for policy on biomedical research. We begin by explaining the rationale for conducting public deliberation in biomedical research. We focus, in particular, on the ELS (ethical, legal, social) aspects of human tissue biobanking. The last few years have seen the development of methods for conducting public deliberation on these issues in several jurisdictions, for the purpose of incorporating lay public voices in biobanking policy. We explain the theoretical foundation underlying the notion of deliberation, and outline the main lessons and capacities that have been developed in the area of conducting public deliberation on biobanks. We next provide an analysis of the theoretical and practical challenges that we feel still need to be addressed for the use of public deliberation to guide ethical norms and governance of biomedical research. We examine the issues of: (i) linking the outcomes of deliberation to tangible action; (ii) the mandate under which a deliberation is conducted; (iii) the relative weight that should be accorded to a public deliberative forum vs other relevant voices; (iv) evaluating the quality of deliberation; and (5) the problem of scalability of minipublics.
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Involving citizens in the ethics of biobank research: informing institutional policy through structured public deliberation. Soc Sci Med 2012; 75:1604-11. [PMID: 22867865 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.06.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2011] [Revised: 06/19/2012] [Accepted: 06/27/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
This paper reports on the design, implementation, and results of a structured public deliberation on human tissue biobanking conducted in Vancouver, Canada, in 2009. This study builds on previous work on the use of deliberative democratic principles and methods to engage publics on the social and ethical implications of human tissue biobanking. In a significant refinement of methods, we focus on providing public input to institutional practice and governance of biobanks using a tailored workbook structure to guide participants' discussion. Our focus is on the local context and practices of a particular institution, the BC BioLibrary. However, elements of both the methodological innovations and the ethical guidance implied by our findings are generalisable for biobanking internationally. Recommendations from the deliberative forum include issues of informed consent, privacy protections, collection of biospecimens, governance of biobanks, and how to manage the process of introduction between biobanks and potential donors. Notable findings include public support for research use of anonymised un-consented tissue samples when these come from archived collections, but lack of support when they are collected prospectively.
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Budimir D, Polasek O, Marusić A, Kolcić I, Zemunik T, Boraska V, Jeroncić A, Boban M, Campbell H, Rudan I. Ethical aspects of human biobanks: a systematic review. Croat Med J 2012; 52:262-79. [PMID: 21674823 PMCID: PMC3118708 DOI: 10.3325/cmj.2011.52.262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Aim To systematically assess the existing literature on ethical aspects of human biobanks. Method We searched the Web of Science and PubMed databases to find studies addressing ethical problems in biobanks with no limits set (study design, study population, time period, or language of publication). All identified articles published until November 2010 were included. We analyzed the type of published articles, journals publishing them, involvement of countries/institutions, year of publication, and citations received, and qualitatively assessed every article in order to identify ethical issues addressed by the majority of published research on human biobanking. Results Hundred and fifty four studies satisfied our review criteria. The studies mainly came from highly developed countries and were all published in the last two decades, with over half of them published in 2009 or 2010. They most commonly discussed the informed consent, privacy and identifiability, return of results to participants, importance of public trust, involvement of children, commercialization, the role of ethics boards, international data exchange, ownership of samples, and benefit sharing. Conclusions The focus on ethical aspects is strongly present through the whole biobanking research field. Although there is a consensus on the old and most typical ethical issues, with further development of the field and increasingly complex structure of human biobanks, these issues will likely continue to arise and accumulate, hence requiring constant re-appraisal and continuing discussion.
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O’Doherty K, Hawkins A. Structuring public engagement for effective input in policy development on human tissue biobanking. Public Health Genomics 2010; 13:197-206. [PMID: 20395688 PMCID: PMC2874727 DOI: 10.1159/000279621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
We begin with the premise that human tissue biobanking is associated with ethical ambiguities and regulatory uncertainty, and that public engagement is at least one important element in addressing such challenges. One is then confronted with how to achieve public engagement that is both meaningful and effective. In particular, how can public engagement on the topic of biobanking be implemented so that (a) it is perceived broadly as legitimate and (b) the results of the engagement are relevant and useful to the institutional and regulatory context? In this paper we build on previous work that has addressed the former point and focus primarily on the latter. We argue that one way to increase the likelihood of results of public engagement being taken up in policy is through framing the issues that are deliberated by members of the public based in part on the practical policy questions for which input is sought. In this approach, we move discussion on the social and ethical implications of biobanking from abstract principles, to their consideration in the context of local biobanking practices. This is illustrated using a practical example involving a public engagement conducted to inform institutional policy for biobanking in British Columbia, Canada.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kieran O’Doherty
- W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics, University of British Columbia, 227-6356 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, V6T 1Z2, Phone: 604.822.8625, Fax: 604 822 8627,
| | - Alice Hawkins
- W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics, University of British Columbia, 227-6356 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, V6T 1Z2, Phone: 604.822.8625, Fax: 604 822 8627,
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Watson PH, Wilson-McManus JE, Barnes RO, Giesz SC, Png A, Hegele RG, Brinkman JN, Mackenzie IR, Huntsman DG, Junker A, Gilks B, Skarsgard E, Burgess M, Aparicio S, McManus BM. Evolutionary concepts in biobanking - the BC BioLibrary. J Transl Med 2009; 7:95. [PMID: 19909513 PMCID: PMC2785772 DOI: 10.1186/1479-5876-7-95] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2009] [Accepted: 11/12/2009] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medical research to improve health care faces a major problem in the relatively limited availability of adequately annotated and collected biospecimens. This limitation is creating a growing gap between the pace of scientific advances and successful exploitation of this knowledge. Biobanks are an important conduit for transfer of biospecimens (tissues, blood, body fluids) and related health data to research. They have evolved outside of the historical source of tissue biospecimens, clinical pathology archives. Research biobanks have developed advanced standards, protocols, databases, and mechanisms to interface with researchers seeking biospecimens. However, biobanks are often limited in their capacity and ability to ensure quality in the face of increasing demand. Our strategy to enhance both capacity and quality in research biobanking is to create a new framework that repatriates the activity of biospecimen accrual for biobanks to clinical pathology. METHODS The British Columbia (BC) BioLibrary is a framework to maximize the accrual of high-quality, annotated biospecimens into biobanks. The BC BioLibrary design primarily encompasses: 1) specialized biospecimen collection units embedded within clinical pathology and linked to a biospecimen distribution system that serves biobanks; 2) a systematic process to connect potential donors with biobanks, and to connect biobanks with consented biospecimens; and 3) interdisciplinary governance and oversight informed by public opinion. RESULTS The BC BioLibrary has been embraced by biobanking leaders and translational researchers throughout BC, across multiple health authorities, institutions, and disciplines. An initial pilot network of three Biospecimen Collection Units has been successfully established. In addition, two public deliberation events have been held to obtain input from the public on the BioLibrary and on issues including consent, collection of biospecimens and governance. CONCLUSION The BC BioLibrary framework addresses common issues for clinical pathology, biobanking, and translational research across multiple institutions and clinical and research domains. We anticipate that our framework will lead to enhanced biospecimen accrual capacity and quality, reduced competition between biobanks, and a transparent process for donors that enhances public trust in biobanking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter H Watson
- Tumour Tissue Repository, Deeley Research Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 2410 Lee Ave, Victoria, BC, Canada
- BC BioLibrary, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Janet E Wilson-McManus
- BC BioLibrary, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Prevention of Organ Failure Centre of Excellence, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Rebecca O Barnes
- Tumour Tissue Repository, Deeley Research Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 2410 Lee Ave, Victoria, BC, Canada
- BC BioLibrary, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | | | - Richard G Hegele
- BC BioLibrary, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jacquelyn N Brinkman
- BC BioLibrary, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- The James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Ian R Mackenzie
- BC BioLibrary, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Pathology, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada Canada
| | - David G Huntsman
- BC BioLibrary, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Pathology, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada Canada
- Centre for Translational and Applied Genomics, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Anne Junker
- BC BioLibrary, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Clinical Research, Child & Family Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Children's and Women's Health Centre of BC, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Blake Gilks
- BC BioLibrary, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Pathology, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada Canada
| | - Erik Skarsgard
- BC BioLibrary, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Children's and Women's Health Centre of BC, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, UBC, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Michael Burgess
- BC BioLibrary, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- College for Interdisciplinary Studies, UBC, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Samuel Aparicio
- BC BioLibrary, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Genetic Pathology, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Bruce M McManus
- BC BioLibrary, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Prevention of Organ Failure Centre of Excellence, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- The James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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