title: Overview on health research ethics in Egypt and North Africa.
abstract: Developing countries, including Egypt and North African countries, need to improve their quality of research by enhancing international cooperation and exchanges of scientific information, as well as competing for obtaining international funds to support research activities. Research must comply with laws and other requirements for research that involves human subjects. The purpose of this article is to overview the status of health research ethics in Egypt and North African countries, with reference to other Middle Eastern countries. The EU and North African Migrants: Health and Health Systems project (EUNAM) has supported the revision of the status of health research ethics in Egypt and North African countries, by holding meetings and discussions to collect information about research ethics committees in Egypt, and revising the structure and guidelines of the committees, as well as reviewing the literature concerning ethics activities in the concerned countries. This overview has revealed that noticeable efforts have been made to regulate research ethics in certain countries in the Middle East. This can be seen in the new regulations, which contain the majority of protections mentioned in the international guidelines related to research ethics. For most of the internationally registered research ethics committees in North African countries, the composition and functionality reflect the international guidelines. There is growing awareness of research ethics in these countries, which extends to teaching efforts to undergraduate and postgraduate medical students.
authors.affiliation: 1 Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt diaamarzouk@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Diaa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marzouk
authors.affiliation: 2 National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Wafaa
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Abd El Aal
authors.affiliation: 3 Theodor Bilharz Research Insitute, Giza, Egypt.
authors.forename: Azza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saleh
authors.affiliation: 4 National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Hany
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sleem
authors.affiliation: 5 Laboratory of Oncovirology, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: Meriem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khyatti
authors.affiliation: 5 Laboratory of Oncovirology, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: Loubna
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mazini
authors.affiliation: 6 Division of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany7 Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hemminki
authors.affiliation: 1 Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Wagida A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Anwar
mesh_terms: D000352:Africa, Northern; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004534:Egypt; D028744:Ethics Committees, Research / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D032984:Ethics, Research; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence