title: Ethical issues raised by whole genome sequencing.
abstract: While there is ongoing discussion about the details of implementation of whole genome sequencing (WGS) and whole exome sequencing (WES), there appears to be a consensus amongst geneticists that the widespread use of these approaches is not only inevitable, but will also be beneficial [1]. However, at the present time, we are unable to anticipate the full range of uses, consequences and impact of implementing WGS and WES. Nevertheless, the already known ethical issues, both in research and in clinical practice are diverse and complex and should be addressed properly presently. Herein, we discuss the ethical aspects of WGS and WES by particularly focussing on three overlapping themes: (1) informed consent, (2) data handling, and (3) the return of results.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium. Electronic address: wim.pinxten@uhasselt.be.
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pinxten
authors.affiliation: IQhealthcare, Medical Ethics, Radboud University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Centre for Research Ethics and Bioethics, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 564, SE-751 22 Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: heidi.howard@mail.mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Heidi Carmen
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Howard
mesh_terms: D030541:Databases, Genetic; D059472:Exome; D015894:Genome, Human; D023281:Genomics / Q000941:ethics*; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000941:ethics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013223:Statistics as Topic
keywords: Medical ethics; Next generation sequencing; Whole genome sequencing