“Your Tumour Can Save Lives”: Re-examining Singapore’s Consent Procedures for the Use of De-identified Bio-specimens in Research

IF 1.1 Q3 ETHICS

Asian Bioethics Review Pub Date : 2025-04-30 DOI:10.1007/s41649-024-00327-z

Kylie J. Q. Heng, Shaun S. E. Loong, Gini W. W. Wong, Athena Ham, Aaron D’Sa, Mayank Dalakoti, Roger Foo, Jerry Menikoff

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Consent in research is inarguably a highly contentious and debated topic. One of the biggest debates in research ethics revolves around the determination of when consent is necessary, as there is a need to balance participant protections and research advancements. Contrary to popular belief, obtaining informed consent may not necessarily be better for the participant. One illustration of this can be taken from the United States’ (US) 2011 proposal to require consent for the research use of de-identified bio-specimens under the applicable regulations (what is often referred to as the “Common Rule”). The proposed transition from no consent to broad consent was met with strong opposition from researchers and the public alike, highlighting the possible superiority of not requiring consent when de-identified bio-specimens are used in research. Against this backdrop, this article uses legal and bioethical perspectives to evaluate Singapore’s consent procedures for the secondary research use of de-identified bio-specimens, arguing that Singapore is ready and in need of further liberties to allow for more robust research advancements and better participant outcomes.

查看原文本刊更多论文

“你的肿瘤可以挽救生命”：重新审视新加坡在研究中使用去识别生物标本的同意程序

研究中的同意无疑是一个极具争议和争议的话题。研究伦理中最大的争论之一是确定何时需要同意，因为需要平衡参与者保护和研究进展。与普遍的看法相反，获得知情同意不一定对参与者更好。一个例子可以从美国（US） 2011年的提案中得到说明，该提案要求根据适用法规（通常称为“共同规则”）对去识别生物标本的研究使用表示同意。从未经同意过渡到广泛同意的提议遭到了研究人员和公众的强烈反对，这凸显了在研究中使用去识别的生物标本时不需要征得同意的可能优势。在此背景下，本文从法律和生物伦理的角度来评估新加坡对去识别生物标本的二次研究使用的同意程序，认为新加坡已经准备好并且需要进一步的自由，以允许更强大的研究进展和更好的参与者结果。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Asian Bioethics Review Multiple-

CiteScore

6.20

自引率

3.40%

发文量

期刊介绍： Asian Bioethics Review (ABR) is an international academic journal, based in Asia, providing a forum to express and exchange original ideas on all aspects of bioethics, especially those relevant to the region. Published quarterly, the journal seeks to promote collaborative research among scholars in Asia or with an interest in Asia, as well as multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary bioethical studies more generally. It will appeal to all working on bioethical issues in biomedicine, healthcare, caregiving and patient support, genetics, law and governance, health systems and policy, science studies and research. ABR provides analyses, perspectives and insights into new approaches in bioethics, recent changes in biomedical law and policy, developments in capacity building and professional training, and voices or essays from a student’s perspective. The journal includes articles, research studies, target articles, case evaluations and commentaries. It also publishes book reviews and correspondence to the editor. ABR welcomes original papers from all countries, particularly those that relate to Asia. ABR is the flagship publication of the Centre for Biomedical Ethics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. The Centre for Biomedical Ethics is a collaborating centre on bioethics of the World Health Organization.