ABSTRACT
This paper describes a traceability system developed for the Stem cells for Biological Assays of Novel drugs and prediCtive toxiCology consortium. The system combines records and labels that to biological material across geographical locations and scientific processes from sample donation to induced pluripotent stem cell line. The labeling system uses a unique identification number to link every aliquot of sample at every stage of the reprogramming pathway back to the original donor. Only staff at the clinical recruitment site can reconnect the unique identification number to the identifying details of a specific donor. This ensures the system meets ethical and legal requirements for protecting privacy while allowing full traceability of biological material. The system can be adapted to other projects and for use with different primary sample types.
Subject(s)
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells/cytology , Stem Cell Research/legislation & jurisprudence , Biological Assay , Drug Discovery , HumansABSTRACT
The right to withdraw from research, along with the necessity of adequately informed consent, is at the heart of the post-Nuremburg code of ethical safeguards in biomedical research on human participants. As biomedical research moves away from direct interventional studies towards research using networks of linked human tissue samples and data, however, questions arise about what withdrawal can and should mean in these new contexts. Some of the more expansive traditional understandings, such as the right to withdraw from a study 'at any time' are limited in practice by the nature of biobank- supported research, particularly where it makes possible widespread dissemination and ongoing reuse of data. It is time for a more nuanced, granular arrangement for withdrawal, appropriate to the ongoing relationships between participants and long-term biobanking enterprises.
