Ethical Boundary for the Application of the Next-generation Sequencing in Genetic Counseling / 中国医学伦理学

ABSTRACT

The next-generation sequencing technology has been widely used in genetic counseling, but there are two major problems in the application of new technology, namely, the lack of unified technical specifications and clear ethical boundary, which would limit industry development and impaired public rights and interests. The solution of the former problem depends on technological progress, while the latter requires the delineation of ethical boundary.Genetic counseling should follow WHO's recommendations and guidelines. Four basic principles of medical ethics, namely, no harm, good deeds, autonomy and impartiality, constitute the principle boundary of genetic counseling ethics. Informed consent in practice is the rigid red line of the ethical principle boundary of next-generation sequencing.There are many problems in the implementation of informed consent in China. Five types and 15 notification points of informed consent in the application of next-generation sequencing were proposed from the technical point of view in this article.