Time to untangle ethical review of genetic research

Abstract

It is well recognised that genetic research raises ethical issues, such as the implications of increasing geno-centrism in healthcare. However the research process itself has attracted less attention. Most, if not all, genetic research in the United Kingdom is reviewed by a NHS Research Ethics Committee. This review typically doesn't examine the 'big picture' ethical issues about research issues in general, but concentrates on important but lower profile issues such as consent, research governance, and the management of sample collections. Yet researchers are increasingly finding that this procedure places unintended obstacles in the way of otherwise uncontroversial research, prompting a call for critical examination of research ethics approval for genetic research.