The social and ethical issues of post-genomic human biobanks.
Biobanking - the organized collection of biological samples and associated data - ranges in scope from small collections of samples in academic or hospital settings to large-scale national repositories. Biobanks raise many ethical concerns, to which authorities are responding by introducing specific regulations. Genomics research, which thrives on the sharing of samples and information, is affected by two prominent ethical questions: do ethical principles prevent or promote the sharing of stored biological resources? How does the advent of large-scale biobanking alter the way in which ethical issues are addressed?
Cambon-Thomsen
Anne
A
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Inserm U 558, Faculté de médecine, 37 allées Jules Guesde, F-31073 Toulouse Cedex, France. cambon@cict.fr
D001675:Bioethics; D018070:Biological Specimen Banks; D006801:Humans; D012926:Social Control, Formal