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Lengauer T. Yves Moreau has received the 2023 Einstein Foundation Individual Award for Promoting Quality in Research. BIOINFORMATICS ADVANCES 2024; 4:vbae039. [PMID: 38566919 PMCID: PMC10985674 DOI: 10.1093/bioadv/vbae039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Lengauer
- Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarland Informatics Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
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Lewis D. Unethical studies on Chinese minority groups are being retracted - but not fast enough, critics say. Nature 2024; 625:650-654. [PMID: 38267675 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-024-00170-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
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3
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Whitmore L, McCauley M, Farrell JA, Stammnitz MR, Koda SA, Mashkour N, Summers V, Osborne T, Whilde J, Duffy DJ. Inadvertent human genomic bycatch and intentional capture raise beneficial applications and ethical concerns with environmental DNA. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:873-888. [PMID: 37188965 PMCID: PMC10250199 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02056-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The field of environmental DNA (eDNA) is advancing rapidly, yet human eDNA applications remain underutilized and underconsidered. Broader adoption of eDNA analysis will produce many well-recognized benefits for pathogen surveillance, biodiversity monitoring, endangered and invasive species detection, and population genetics. Here we show that deep-sequencing-based eDNA approaches capture genomic information from humans (Homo sapiens) just as readily as that from the intended target species. We term this phenomenon human genetic bycatch (HGB). Additionally, high-quality human eDNA could be intentionally recovered from environmental substrates (water, sand and air), holding promise for beneficial medical, forensic and environmental applications. However, this also raises ethical dilemmas, from consent, privacy and surveillance to data ownership, requiring further consideration and potentially novel regulation. We present evidence that human eDNA is readily detectable from 'wildlife' environmental samples as human genetic bycatch, demonstrate that identifiable human DNA can be intentionally recovered from human-focused environmental sampling and discuss the translational and ethical implications of such findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam Whitmore
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Mark McCauley
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Jessica A Farrell
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
- Department of Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Maximilian R Stammnitz
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Samantha A Koda
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Narges Mashkour
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Victoria Summers
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Todd Osborne
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Jenny Whilde
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA
| | - David J Duffy
- Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL, USA.
- Department of Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
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Abstract
This review paper covers the forensic-relevant literature in biological sciences from 2019 to 2022 as a part of the 20th INTERPOL International Forensic Science Managers Symposium. Topics reviewed include rapid DNA testing, using law enforcement DNA databases plus investigative genetic genealogy DNA databases along with privacy/ethical issues, forensic biology and body fluid identification, DNA extraction and typing methods, mixture interpretation involving probabilistic genotyping software (PGS), DNA transfer and activity-level evaluations, next-generation sequencing (NGS), DNA phenotyping, lineage markers (Y-chromosome, mitochondrial DNA, X-chromosome), new markers and approaches (microhaplotypes, proteomics, and microbial DNA), kinship analysis and human identification with disaster victim identification (DVI), and non-human DNA testing including wildlife forensics. Available books and review articles are summarized as well as 70 guidance documents to assist in quality control that were published in the past three years by various groups within the United States and around the world.
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Samlali K, Thornbury M, Venter A. Community-led risk analysis of direct-to-consumer whole-genome sequencing. Biochem Cell Biol 2022; 100:499-509. [PMID: 35939839 DOI: 10.1139/bcb-2021-0506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing is cheaper and more accessible than ever before; however, the intention to combine, reuse, and resell this genetic information as powerful data sets is generally hidden from the consumer. This financial gain is creating a competitive DTC market, reducing the price of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to under 300 USD. Entering this transition from single-nucleotide polymorphism-based DTC testing to WGS DTC testing, individuals looking for access to their whole-genomic information face new privacy and security risks. Differences between WGS and other methods of consumer genetic tests are left unexplored by regulation, leading to the application of legal data anonymization methods on whole-genome data, and questionable consent methods. Large representative genomic data sets are important for research and improve the standard of medicine and personalized care. However, these data can also be used by market players, law enforcement, and governments for surveillance, population analyses, marketing purposes, and discrimination. Here, we present a summary of the state of WGS DTC genetic testing and its current regulation, through a community-based lens to expose dual-use risks in consumer-facing biotechnologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenza Samlali
- BricoBio Community Biology Lab, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Centre for Applied Synthetic Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Concordia University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Mackenzie Thornbury
- BricoBio Community Biology Lab, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Centre for Applied Synthetic Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Andrei Venter
- BricoBio Community Biology Lab, Montréal, QC, Canada
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Hellstern R, Park DC, Lemieux V, Salimjan G. Leveraging Blockchain-Based Archival Solutions for Sensitive Documentation: a Xinjiang Case Study. DIGITAL SOCIETY 2022; 1:4. [PMID: 36147998 PMCID: PMC9289082 DOI: 10.1007/s44206-022-00007-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This exploratory research surveys scholarly literature on decentralized storage solutions, including theories and works of archival science, and similar applications in humanitarian contexts, to illustrate the necessity of these systems in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. Xinjiang has recently shifted into the spotlight of the international press for allegations of abuse and forced labor, coercive cultural assimilation, and the creation of a police state. The leadership of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) justifies the existence of these training facilities and expansive surveillance networks as part of the PRC-backed efforts to de-radicalize ethnic groups in the region. However, many governments and scholars rebuke these justifications, arguing that these centers are state-run facilities that house extrajudicially detained individuals based on their ethnic identity and religious belief. This paper aims at limiting the plausible deniability of violations conducive to cultural genocide, thus improving the prospects for deterrence and accountability through decentralized evidence management. The technological sophistication of the regime in Xinjiang is outpacing centralized systems and rendering storage solutions hosting evidence of these violations obsolete. This jeopardizes the prospect of truth and reconciliation in the future and allows the party to craft and disseminate their narrative globally with little resistance. Major findings focus on how decentralized systems can improve the streamlining and hosting of evidence regarding human rights violations occurring as well as advancing the study of cryptographic management of evidence regarding the treatment of vulnerable communities in low-rights regions.
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Wienroth M, Granja R, Lipphardt V, Nsiah Amoako E, McCartney C. Ethics as Lived Practice. Anticipatory Capacity and Ethical Decision-Making in Forensic Genetics. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1868. [PMID: 34946816 PMCID: PMC8701090 DOI: 10.3390/genes12121868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Greater scrutiny and demands for innovation and increased productivity place pressures on scientists. Forensic genetics is advancing at a rapid pace but can only do so responsibly, usefully, and acceptably within ethical and legal boundaries. We argue that such boundaries require that forensic scientists embrace 'ethics as lived practice'. As a starting point, we critically discuss 'thin' ethics in forensic genetics, which lead to a myopic focus on procedures, and to seeing 'privacy' as the sole ethical concern and technology as a mere tool. To overcome 'thin' ethics in forensic genetics, we instead propose understanding ethics as an intrinsic part of the lived practice of a scientist. Therefore, we explore, within the context of three case studies of emerging forensic genetics technologies, ethical aspects of decision-making in forensic genetics research and in technology use. We discuss the creation, curation, and use of databases, and the need to engage with societal and policing contexts of forensic practice. We argue that open communication is a vital ethical aspect. Adoption of 'ethics as lived practice' supports the development of anticipatory capacity-empowering scientists to understand, and act within ethical and legal boundaries, incorporating the operational and societal impacts of their daily decisions, and making visible ethical decision making in scientific practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Wienroth
- Centre for Crime and Policing, Department of Social Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK
| | - Rafaela Granja
- Communication and Society Research Centre, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
| | - Veronika Lipphardt
- University College Freiburg, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, 79098 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Emmanuel Nsiah Amoako
- Department of Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK
| | - Carole McCartney
- Science & Justice Research Interest Group, Law School, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK
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Interpretation of DNA data within the context of UK forensic science - investigation. Emerg Top Life Sci 2021; 5:395-404. [PMID: 34151948 PMCID: PMC8457768 DOI: 10.1042/etls20210165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2021] [Revised: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This article is the second part of a review of the interpretation of DNA data in forensic science. The first part describes the evaluation of autosomal profile for criminal trials where an evidential weight is assigned to the profile of a person of interest (POI) and a crime-scene profile. This part describes the state of the art and future advances in the interpretation of forensic DNA data for providing intelligence information during an investigation. Forensic DNA is crucial in the investigative phase of an undetected crime where a POI needs to be identified. A sample taken from a crime scene is profiled using a range of forensic DNA tests. This review covers investigation using autosomal profiles including searching national and international crime and reference DNA databases. Other investigative methodologies described are kinship analysis; familial searching; Y chromosome (Y-STR) and mitochondrial (mtDNA) profiles; appearance prediction and geographic ancestry; forensic genetic genealogy; and body identification. For completeness, the evaluation of Y-STRs, mtDNA and kinship analysis are briefly described. Taken together, parts I and II, cover the range of interpretation of DNA data in a forensic context.
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de Groot NF, van Beers BC, Meynen G. Commercial DNA tests and police investigations: a broad bioethical perspective. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS 2021; 47:medethics-2021-107568. [PMID: 34509983 PMCID: PMC8639940 DOI: 10.1136/medethics-2021-107568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Over 30 million people worldwide have taken a commercial at-home DNA test, because they were interested in their genetic ancestry, disease predisposition or inherited traits. Yet, these consumer DNA data are also increasingly used for a very different purpose: to identify suspects in criminal investigations. By matching a suspect's DNA with DNA from a suspect's distant relatives who have taken a commercial at-home DNA test, law enforcement can zero in on a perpetrator. Such forensic use of consumer DNA data has been performed in over 200 criminal investigations. However, this practice of so-called investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) raises ethical concerns. In this paper, we aim to broaden the bioethical analysis on IGG by showing the limitations of an individual-based model. We discuss two concerns central in the debate: privacy and informed consent. However, we argue that IGG raises pressing ethical concerns that extend beyond these individual-focused issues. The very nature of the genetic information entails that relatives may also be affected by the individual customer's choices. In this respect, we explore to what extent the ethical approach in the biomedical genetic context on consent and consequences for relatives can be helpful for the debate on IGG. We argue that an individual-based model has significant limitations in an IGG context. The ethical debate is further complicated by the international, transgenerational and commercial nature of IGG. We conclude that IGG should not only be approached as an individual but also-and perhaps primarily-as a collective issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina F de Groot
- Philosophy, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Britta C van Beers
- Legal Theory and Legal History, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gerben Meynen
- Philosophy, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Willem Pompe Institute for Criminal Law and Criminology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Lipphardt V, Rappold GA, Surdu M. Representing vulnerable populations in genetic studies: The case of the Roma. SCIENCE IN CONTEXT 2021; 34:69-100. [PMID: 36050807 DOI: 10.1017/s0269889722000023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Moreau () has raised concerns about the use of DNA data obtained from vulnerable populations, such as the Uighurs in China. We discuss another case, situated in Europe and with a research history dating back 100 years: genetic investigations of Roma. In our article, we focus on problems surrounding representativity in these studies. We claim that many of the circa 440 publications in our sample neglect the methodological and conceptual challenges of representativity. Moreover, authors do not account for problematic misrepresentations of Roma resulting from the conceptual frameworks and sampling schemes they use. We question the representation of Roma as a "genetic isolate" and the underlying rationales, with a strong focus on sampling strategies. We discuss our results against the optimistic prognosis that the "new genetics" could help to overcome essentialist understandings of groups.
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Curtis D. Concerns about medical abuses against Uighurs in China. Lancet 2021; 397:193-194. [PMID: 33453775 PMCID: PMC9755481 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(21)00033-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David Curtis
- Division of Biosciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
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Higgins WC, Rogers WA, Ballantyne A, Lipworth W. Against the use and publication of contemporary unethical research: the case of Chinese transplant research. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS 2020; 46:678-684. [PMID: 32611619 DOI: 10.1136/medethics-2019-106044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Recent calls for retraction of a large body of Chinese transplant research and of Dr Jiankui He's gene editing research has led to renewed interest in the question of publication, retraction and use of unethical biomedical research. In Part 1 of this paper, we briefly review the now well-established consequentialist and deontological arguments for and against the use of unethical research. We argue that, while there are potentially compelling justifications for use under some circumstances, these justifications fail when unethical practices are ongoing-as in the case of research involving transplantations in which organs have been procured unethically from executed prisoners. Use of such research displays a lack of respect and concern for the victims and undermines efforts to deter unethical practices. Such use also creates moral taint and renders those who use the research complicit in continuing harm. In Part 2, we distinguish three dimensions of 'non-use' of unethical research: non-use of published unethical research, non-publication, and retraction and argue that all three types of non-use should be upheld in the case of Chinese transplant research. Publishers have responsibilities to not publish contemporary unethical biomedical research, and where this has occurred, to retract publications. Failure to retract the papers implicitly condones the research, while uptake of the research through citations rewards researchers and ongoing circulation of the data in the literature facilitates subsequent use by researchers, policymakers and clinicians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy C Higgins
- Department of Philosophy, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Wendy A Rogers
- Department of Philosophy, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Angela Ballantyne
- Centre for Biomedical Ethics, National University of Singapore; and Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice [Wellington], and Bioethics Centre [Dunedin], University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Wendy Lipworth
- Sydney Health Ethics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Genetic Justice: Identity and Equality in the Biotech Age. Development 2020. [DOI: 10.1057/s41301-020-00240-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Curtis D, Balloux F. Editorial: Topical ethical issues in the publication of human genetics research. Ann Hum Genet 2020; 84:313-314. [DOI: 10.1111/ahg.12382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David Curtis
- UCL Genetics Institute, UCL London United Kingdom
- Centre for Psychiatry Queen Mary University of London London United Kingdom
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