This paper reports on a recent symposium seminar series entitled ‘Governing genetic databases – collection, storage and use’ hosted by the Ethox Centre at the University of Oxford. It outlines the inadequacy of the current UK framework for governing genetic databases and biobanks and some of the implications of this. It then briefly describes and reflects on each of the five symposium papers.
References
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House of Commons Science and Technology Committee. Third report. Human genetics: the science and its consequences. London: HMSO, 1995: paras 2 and 3.
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GibbonsSMC. Are UK genetic databases governed adequately? A comparative legal analysis. Legal Studies2007; 27(2): 312–342: 334–337.
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GibbonsSMCKayeJSmartAHeeneyCParkerM. Governing genetic databases: challenges facing research regulation and practice. Journal of Law & Society2007; 34(2) 163–189: 181–185.
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National Research Ethics Service. Standard operating procedures for research ethics committees in the United Kingdom. Version 3.3, April 2007: 40, 208–215. Available at http://www.nres.npsa.nhs.uk/docs/guidance/SOPs.pdf (last accessed 10 August 2007).
5.
The symposium series was inspired by an ongoing socio-legal research project into genetic database governance, funded by the Wellcome Trust. For information, see http://www.ggd.org.uk/ (last accessed 10 August 2007).
6.
GibbonsSMCKayeJ. Governing genetic databases: collection, storage and use. King's Law Journal2007; 18(2): 201–208. Dr Jane Kaye and I co-convened the seminar series and co-edited the symposium papers for publication.
