Population-Based Biobanks-Ethical Perspective

As the impact of molecular and genomic data grows in epidemiology, numerous studies of genetic epidemiology and post human genomic project rely increasingly on the use of human biobanks. Biobanking ranges in scope from small collections of samples in academic or hospital settings to large-scale national repositories. Although biobanking is not new, its considerable development during the past decades, in the context of genomic research and post human genomic project, has been accompanied by numerous ethical challenges, of which informed consent and uses of information are the two main problems.To begin with, the paper dealt with the concept of biobank, the difference between biobanks and common genetic databases, and then the significance of building biobanks. After compared biobanks running through international world, the paper focused on informed consent and issues about information uses encountered by building of population-based biobanks. Following that, the paper learned the international experience on theories and practices and put forward some practical and principle suggestions to policy makers based on our country's context, which is expected to be hopeful to related work to come.