title: "Conflict-of-interest" and participation in IRB deliberations: an alternative perspective.
abstract: A natural tension exists as an IRB attempts of fulfill its mission of providing an independent and unbiased evaluation of a study while also insuring appropriate consideration of all relevant risks, benefits, and alternative strategies. IRB members with often critically relevant knowledge of unique issues involved in a protocol under review may be the individuals with the greatest potential for a perceived "conflict," due to current or past involvement in sponsor-associated research in the particular area. Management of real or perceived conflict must include full disclosure, but exclusion of such individuals from the deliberative process may result in undesirable consequences.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. mmarkman@mdanderson.org
authors.forename: Maurie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Markman
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D016265:Conflict of Interest; D030881:Disclosure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D028744:Ethics Committees, Research / Q000941:ethics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D014481:United States