https://doi.org/10.4081/mem.2021.928
A serviceable Research Biobank model: Charter of Principles and Biobank Ethics Consultation Service (BECS) as a formal toolkit to promote an expert ethical guidance to biobank research
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The complexity of biobank research has recently increased generating a number of novel ethical issues. In recent years the University of Insubria is committed to provide specific training programs in Bioethics, Applied Ethics and Clinical Ethics aimed to face to critical topics related to medicine, research and biobanking. Actually we design the Insubria Biobank as a research infrastructure with an appropriate Ethical Framework and responsible for the custody of biospecimens and data according to a model of Charitable Trust. So to answer certain questions is crucial: How could biobank respect the trust placed in it? What resources could promote the goals of the biobank? Do professionals require a specific ethical training? This credit of trust must be fed and confirmed by the ethical choices of the biobank and ensuring maximum transparency and traceability of decisions. The aim of the Insubria Biobank is to become an ethical subject to secure the public trust and to define the ethics criteria to be made public and to which the biobank will comply. In our model we propose the prospective involved parties that could guarantee the achievement of this goal: Informed Consent, Charter of Principles and Biobank Ethics Consultation Services (BECS). Our purpose is to offer a Charter of Principles and BECS to help scientists, health care professionals, patients, donors, institutional review board and policymakers, better navigate the ethical issues in biobanking. An exploratory survey to identify the willingness to use BECS represent our future research plan.
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