TY - JOUR
T1 - Developing a policy for paediatric biobanks: principles for good practice
AU - Hens, Kristien
AU - Van El, Carla E.
AU - Borry, Pascal
AU - Cambon-Thomsen, Anne
AU - Cornel, Martina C.
AU - Forzano, Francesca
AU - Lucassen, Anneke
AU - Patch, Christine
AU - Tranebjaerg, Lisbeth
AU - Vermeulen, Eric
AU - Salvaterra, Elena
AU - Tibben, Aad
AU - Dierickx, Kris
PY - 2013/1
Y1 - 2013/1
N2 - The participation of minors in biobank research can offer great benefits for science and health care. However, as minors are a vulnerable population they are also in need of adequate protective measures when they are enrolled in research. Research using biobanked biological samples from children poses additional ethical issues to those raised by research using adult biobanks. For example, small children have only limited capacity, if any, to understand the meaning and implications of the research and to give a documented agreement to it. Older minors are gradually acquiring this capacity. We describe principles for good practice related to the inclusion of minors in biobank research, focusing on issues related to benefits and subsidiarity, consent, proportionality and return of results. Some of these issues are currently heavily debated, and we conclude by providing principles for good practice for policy makers of biobanks, researchers and anyone involved in dealing with stored tissue samples from children. Actual implementation of the principles will vary according to different jurisdictions. European Journal of Human Genetics (2013) 21, 2-7; doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2012.99; published online 20 June 2012
AB - The participation of minors in biobank research can offer great benefits for science and health care. However, as minors are a vulnerable population they are also in need of adequate protective measures when they are enrolled in research. Research using biobanked biological samples from children poses additional ethical issues to those raised by research using adult biobanks. For example, small children have only limited capacity, if any, to understand the meaning and implications of the research and to give a documented agreement to it. Older minors are gradually acquiring this capacity. We describe principles for good practice related to the inclusion of minors in biobank research, focusing on issues related to benefits and subsidiarity, consent, proportionality and return of results. Some of these issues are currently heavily debated, and we conclude by providing principles for good practice for policy makers of biobanks, researchers and anyone involved in dealing with stored tissue samples from children. Actual implementation of the principles will vary according to different jurisdictions. European Journal of Human Genetics (2013) 21, 2-7; doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2012.99; published online 20 June 2012
U2 - 10.1038/ejhg.2012.99
DO - 10.1038/ejhg.2012.99
M3 - Article
C2 - 22713814
SN - 1018-4813
VL - 21
SP - 2
EP - 7
JO - European Journal of Human Genetics
JF - European Journal of Human Genetics
IS - 1
ER -