TY - JOUR
T1 - Pediatric biobanking
T2 - a pilot qualitative survey of practices, rules, and researcher opinions in ten European countries
AU - Salvaterra, Elena
AU - Giorda, Roberto
AU - Bassi, Maria T
AU - Borgatti, Renato
AU - Knudsen, Lisbeth E.
AU - Martinuzzi, Andrea
AU - Nobile, Maria
AU - Pozzoli, Uberto
AU - Ramelli, Gian P
AU - Reni, Gianl L
AU - Rivolta, Damiano
AU - Stazi, Maria A
AU - Strazzer, Sandra
AU - Thijs, Carel
AU - Toccaceli, Virgilia
AU - Trabacca, Antonio
AU - Turconi, Anna C
AU - Zanini, Sergio
AU - Zucca, Claudio
AU - Bresolin, Nereo
AU - Lenzi On Behalf Of The Pediatric Biobank Elsi Working Group, Leonardo
PY - 2012/2/1
Y1 - 2012/2/1
N2 - Ethical, legal, and social issues related to the collection, storage, and use of biospecimens and data derived from children raise critical concerns in the international debate. So far, a number of studies have considered a variety of the individual issues crucial to pediatric biobanking such as decision making, privacy protection, minor recontact, and research withdrawal by focusing on theoretical or empirical perspectives. Our research attempted to analyze such issues in a comprehensive manner by exploring practices, rules, and researcher opinions regarding proxy consent, minor assent, specimens and data handling, and return of results as faced in 10 European countries. Because of the lack of comparative analyses of these topics, a pilot study was designed. Following a qualitative methodology, a questionnaire draft mostly including open-ended queries was developed, tested, and sent by e-mail to a selected group of researchers dealing with pediatric biobanking (n=57). Returned questionnaires (n=31) highlighted that the collection, storage, distribution, and use of biospecimens and data from children were widely practiced in the contacted laboratories. In most cases, pediatric biobanking was subjected to national or local regulations covering adult biobanks (n=26). Informed consent was generally given by parents or legal representatives (n=17). Children's opinions were frequently sought and taken into account (n=16). However, minors were usually not recontacted at the age of maturity to express their own choices (n=26). Based on the collected data, dedicated recommendations are needed to govern unique ethical and regulatory issues surrounding pediatric biobanking.
AB - Ethical, legal, and social issues related to the collection, storage, and use of biospecimens and data derived from children raise critical concerns in the international debate. So far, a number of studies have considered a variety of the individual issues crucial to pediatric biobanking such as decision making, privacy protection, minor recontact, and research withdrawal by focusing on theoretical or empirical perspectives. Our research attempted to analyze such issues in a comprehensive manner by exploring practices, rules, and researcher opinions regarding proxy consent, minor assent, specimens and data handling, and return of results as faced in 10 European countries. Because of the lack of comparative analyses of these topics, a pilot study was designed. Following a qualitative methodology, a questionnaire draft mostly including open-ended queries was developed, tested, and sent by e-mail to a selected group of researchers dealing with pediatric biobanking (n=57). Returned questionnaires (n=31) highlighted that the collection, storage, distribution, and use of biospecimens and data from children were widely practiced in the contacted laboratories. In most cases, pediatric biobanking was subjected to national or local regulations covering adult biobanks (n=26). Informed consent was generally given by parents or legal representatives (n=17). Children's opinions were frequently sought and taken into account (n=16). However, minors were usually not recontacted at the age of maturity to express their own choices (n=26). Based on the collected data, dedicated recommendations are needed to govern unique ethical and regulatory issues surrounding pediatric biobanking.
U2 - 10.1089/bio.2011.0037
DO - 10.1089/bio.2011.0037
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 24849751
SN - 1947-5535
VL - 10
SP - 29
EP - 36
JO - Biopreservation and Biobanking
JF - Biopreservation and Biobanking
IS - 1
ER -