Biobanks and ethical issues in Italy

International Conference and Exhibition on Tissue Preservation & Bio-banking

July 20-22, 2015 Barcelona, Spain

Cannovo Nunzia, Di Lorenzo Pierpaolo, Paternoster Mariano, Graziano Vincenzo, Niola Massimo and Buccelli Claudio

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Tissue Sci Eng

Abstract :

Bio-banks or bio-libraries are public or private institutions engaged in long-term preservation of human biological material and donorsâ?? personal data. By biological material samples, it is meant cells, tissues, blood, DNA, as pool of genetic information. By personal data it is meant the genetic features, health and life style of donors. Bio-banks are certainly an advantage for the progress of science and public health as they give large-scale access to demographics and the genetic pool of worldâ??s populations. Nevertheless there are concerns among citizens and specialists that personal information and biological material can be used for purposes other than those initially expected by donors. In our opinion any biological material must be protected from any abuse. The rules concerning the collection, preservation, treatment and processing of biological samples and personal information should be harmonised at world level, reconciling the right to individual privacy and the possibility to develop further scientific research. On this matter the Ethics Committee of Università di Napoli Federico II, write the guidelines on using biobank in each aspects (legislative, procedural and ethical). It applies a procedure worked out some years ago to inform and acquire consent to the use and preservation of biological material for scientific research purposes, consistent with the indications for treatment of genetic data issued the Italian Authority on Privacy. This form for informed consent is divided in multiple sections, each one presenting a range of options for patients so as to give them, on a step-by-step basis, the possibility to express their specific consent to every single activity of research and, in case, to deny consent to any of them. Though cumbersome it may look, this process lets donors receive thorough information before deciding about the fate of the biological material that still belongs to them.

Biography :

NUNZIA CANNOVO: She is physician, specialized in Legal Medicine and PhD in Bioethics. She has a master in Applied Bioethics. She is a member of Federico II University Ethics Committee at Naples, from 2010 until now.