Ethical Issues in Research and Development of Epigenome-wide Technologies

To date, few scholarly discussions on ethical implications of epigenetics and epigenomics technologies have focused on the current phase of research and development, in which researchers are confronted with real and practical ethical dilemmas. In this article, a responsible research and innovation a...

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Main Authors: Eline M Bunnik, Marjolein Timmers, Ineke LLE Bolt
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2020-04-01
Series:Epigenetics Insights
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/2516865720913253
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spelling doaj-af5149e447ec463ca29735a6cb69c4392020-11-25T03:55:42ZengSAGE PublishingEpigenetics Insights2516-86572020-04-011310.1177/2516865720913253Ethical Issues in Research and Development of Epigenome-wide TechnologiesEline M BunnikMarjolein TimmersIneke LLE BoltTo date, few scholarly discussions on ethical implications of epigenetics and epigenomics technologies have focused on the current phase of research and development, in which researchers are confronted with real and practical ethical dilemmas. In this article, a responsible research and innovation approach, using interviews and an expert meeting, is applied to a case of epigenomic test development for cervical cancer screening. This article provides an overview of ethical issues presently facing epigenomics researchers and test developers, and discusses 3 sets of issues in depth: (1) informed consent; (2) communication with donors and/or research participants, and (3) privacy and publication of data and research results. Although these issues are familiar to research ethics, some aspects are new and most require reinterpretation in the context of epigenomics technologies. With this article, we aim to start a discussion of the practical ethical issues rising in research and development of epigenomic technologies and to offer guidance for researchers working in the field of epigenetic and epigenomic technology.https://doi.org/10.1177/2516865720913253
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Eline M Bunnik
Marjolein Timmers
Ineke LLE Bolt
spellingShingle Eline M Bunnik
Marjolein Timmers
Ineke LLE Bolt
Ethical Issues in Research and Development of Epigenome-wide Technologies
Epigenetics Insights
author_facet Eline M Bunnik
Marjolein Timmers
Ineke LLE Bolt
author_sort Eline M Bunnik
title Ethical Issues in Research and Development of Epigenome-wide Technologies
title_short Ethical Issues in Research and Development of Epigenome-wide Technologies
title_full Ethical Issues in Research and Development of Epigenome-wide Technologies
title_fullStr Ethical Issues in Research and Development of Epigenome-wide Technologies
title_full_unstemmed Ethical Issues in Research and Development of Epigenome-wide Technologies
title_sort ethical issues in research and development of epigenome-wide technologies
publisher SAGE Publishing
series Epigenetics Insights
issn 2516-8657
publishDate 2020-04-01
description To date, few scholarly discussions on ethical implications of epigenetics and epigenomics technologies have focused on the current phase of research and development, in which researchers are confronted with real and practical ethical dilemmas. In this article, a responsible research and innovation approach, using interviews and an expert meeting, is applied to a case of epigenomic test development for cervical cancer screening. This article provides an overview of ethical issues presently facing epigenomics researchers and test developers, and discusses 3 sets of issues in depth: (1) informed consent; (2) communication with donors and/or research participants, and (3) privacy and publication of data and research results. Although these issues are familiar to research ethics, some aspects are new and most require reinterpretation in the context of epigenomics technologies. With this article, we aim to start a discussion of the practical ethical issues rising in research and development of epigenomic technologies and to offer guidance for researchers working in the field of epigenetic and epigenomic technology.
url https://doi.org/10.1177/2516865720913253
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