1
|
Sumner P, Schwartz L, Woloshin S, Bratton L, Chambers C. Disclosure of study funding and author conflicts of interest in press releases and the news: a retrospective content analysis with two cohorts. BMJ Open 2021; 11:e041385. [PMID: 33419908 PMCID: PMC7798706 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-041385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To examine how often study funding and author conflicts of interest are stated in science and health press releases and in corresponding news; and whether disclosure in press releases is associated with disclosure in news. Second, to specifically examine disclosure rates in industry-funded studies. DESIGN Retrospective content analysis with two cohorts. SETTING Press releases about health, psychology or neuroscience research from research universities and journals from 2011 (n=996) and 2015 (n=254) and their associated news stories (n=1250 and 578). PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE Mention of study funding and author conflicts of interest. RESULTS In our 2011 cohort, funding was reported in 94% (934/996) of journal articles, 29% (284/996) of press releases and 9% (112/1250) of news. The corresponding figures for 2015 were: 84% (214/254), 52% (131/254) and 10% (58/578). A similar pattern was seen for the industry funding subset. If the press release reported study funding, news was more likely to: 22% if in the press release versus 7% if not in the press release (2011), relative risk (RR) 3.1 (95% CI 2.1 to 4.3); for 2015, corresponding figures were 16% versus 2%, RR 6.8 (95% CI 2.2 to 17). In journal articles, 27% and 22% reported a conflict of interest, while less than 2% of press releases or news ever mentioned these. CONCLUSIONS Press releases and associated news did not frequently state funding sources or conflicts of interest. Funding information in press releases was associated with such information in news. Given converging evidence that news draws on press release content, including statements of funding and conflicts of interest in press releases may lead to increased reporting in news.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Petroc Sumner
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Lisa Schwartz
- Center for Medicine and the Media, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Steven Woloshin
- Center for Medicine and the Media, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
- The Lisa Schwartz Foundation for Truth in Medicine, Norwich, Vermont, USA
| | - Luke Bratton
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Dandara C, Endrenyi L, Kolker E, Hekim N, Steuten LMG, Güngör K, Aklillu E, Özdemir V. Precision Medicine 2.0: The Rise of Glocal Innovation, Superconnectors, and Design Thinking. OMICS-A JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY 2018; 20:493-5. [PMID: 27631187 DOI: 10.1089/omi.2016.0129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Collet Dandara
- 1 Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town , Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Laszlo Endrenyi
- 2 Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario
| | - Eugene Kolker
- 3 Global Technology Services and Transformation and Operations, IBM Corporation , Armonk, New York
- 4 Tandon School of Engineering, New York University , New York City, New York
- 5 Department of Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education, School of Medicine, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington
- 6 Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, College of Science, Northeastern University , Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Nezih Hekim
- 7 Department of Medical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, İstanbul Kemerburgaz University , Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Lotte M G Steuten
- 8 PANAXEA bv , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- 9 School of Pharmacy, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington
| | - Kıvanç Güngör
- 10 Department of Ophthalmology and Faculty of Health Sciences, Gaziantep University , Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Eleni Aklillu
- 11 Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institute , Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Vural Özdemir
- 12 Faculty of Communications, Gaziantep University , Gaziantep, Turkey
- 13 Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University) , Kerala, India
- 14 Data-Enabled Life Sciences Alliance (DELSA Global) , Seattle, Washington
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Özdemir V, Springer S. What does “Diversity” Mean for Public Engagement in Science? A New Metric for Innovation Ecosystem Diversity. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 22:184-189. [DOI: 10.1089/omi.2018.0002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Vural Özdemir
- Independent Writer and Researcher, Technology, Society and Democracy, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kollam, India
| | - Simon Springer
- Critical Geographies Research Laboratory, Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Özdemir V, Hekim N. Birth of Industry 5.0: Making Sense of Big Data with Artificial Intelligence, “The Internet of Things” and Next-Generation Technology Policy. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 22:65-76. [DOI: 10.1089/omi.2017.0194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vural Özdemir
- Independent Writer and Researcher, Technology, Society & Democracy, Toronto, Canada
- School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), Kerala, India
| | - Nezih Hekim
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Biruni University, Istanbul, Turkey
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Özdemir V, Dandara C, Hekim N, Birch K, Springer S, Kunej T, Endrenyi L. Stop the Spam! Conference Ethics and Decoding the Subtext in Post-Truth Science. What Would Denis Diderot Say? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 21:658-664. [DOI: 10.1089/omi.2017.0150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vural Özdemir
- Independent Writer and Researcher, Innovation in Global Governance for Science, Technology and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), Kerala, India
| | - Collet Dandara
- Pharmacogenomics and Drug Metabolism Group, Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Nezih Hekim
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Biruni University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Kean Birch
- Department of Geography, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - Simon Springer
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
| | - Tanja Kunej
- Department of Animal Science, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Domzale, Slovenia
| | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Özdemir V. OMICS 2.0: An Accelerator for Global Science, Systems Medicine and Responsible Innovation. OMICS-A JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY 2016; 19:579-80. [PMID: 26484977 DOI: 10.1089/omi.2015.0133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Vural Özdemir
- Editorial Office, OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. , New Rochelle, New York
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Personalized medicine beyond genomics: alternative futures in big data—proteomics, environtome and the social proteome. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2015; 124:25-32. [DOI: 10.1007/s00702-015-1489-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2015] [Accepted: 11/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
|
8
|
Dove ES, Özdemir V. What Role for Law, Human Rights, and Bioethics in an Age of Big Data, Consortia Science, and Consortia Ethics? The Importance of Trustworthiness. LAWS 2015; 4:515-540. [PMID: 26345196 PMCID: PMC4558936 DOI: 10.3390/laws4030515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The global bioeconomy is generating new paradigm-shifting practices of knowledge co-production, such as collective innovation; large-scale, data-driven global consortia science (Big Science); and consortia ethics (Big Ethics). These bioeconomic and sociotechnical practices can be forces for progressive social change, but they can also raise predicaments at the interface of law, human rights, and bioethics. In this article, we examine one such double-edged practice: the growing, multivariate exploitation of Big Data in the health sector, particularly by the private sector. Commercial exploitation of health data for knowledge-based products is a key aspect of the bioeconomy and is also a topic of concern among publics around the world. It is exacerbated in the current age of globally interconnected consortia science and consortia ethics, which is characterized by accumulating epistemic proximity, diminished academic independence, "extreme centrism", and conflicted/competing interests among innovation actors. Extreme centrism is of particular importance as a new ideology emerging from consortia science and consortia ethics; this relates to invariably taking a middle-of-the-road populist stance, even in the event of human rights breaches, so as to sustain the populist support needed for consortia building and collective innovation. What role do law, human rights, and bioethics-separate and together-have to play in addressing these predicaments and opportunities in early 21st century science and society? One answer we propose is an intertwined ethico-legal normative construct, namely trustworthiness. By considering trustworthiness as a central pillar at the intersection of law, human rights, and bioethics, we enable others to trust us, which in turns allows different actors (both nonprofit and for-profit) to operate more justly in consortia science and ethics, as well as to access and responsibly use health data for public benefit.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Edward S. Dove
- J. Kenyon Mason Institute for Medicine, Life Sciences and the Law, School of Law, University of Edinburgh, Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, UK
| | - Vural Özdemir
- Faculty of Communications and Department of Industrial Engineering, Office of the President, International Technology and Innovation Policy, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep 27310, Turkey; or
- Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), Amritapuri, Clappana P.O., Kollam, Kerala 690 525, India
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Birko S, Dove ES, Özdemir V. Evaluation of Nine Consensus Indices in Delphi Foresight Research and Their Dependency on Delphi Survey Characteristics: A Simulation Study and Debate on Delphi Design and Interpretation. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0135162. [PMID: 26270647 PMCID: PMC4535950 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2015] [Accepted: 07/18/2015] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The extent of consensus (or the lack thereof) among experts in emerging fields of innovation can serve as antecedents of scientific, societal, investor and stakeholder synergy or conflict. Naturally, how we measure consensus is of great importance to science and technology strategic foresight. The Delphi methodology is a widely used anonymous survey technique to evaluate consensus among a panel of experts. Surprisingly, there is little guidance on how indices of consensus can be influenced by parameters of the Delphi survey itself. We simulated a classic three-round Delphi survey building on the concept of clustered consensus/dissensus. We evaluated three study characteristics that are pertinent for design of Delphi foresight research: (1) the number of survey questions, (2) the sample size, and (3) the extent to which experts conform to group opinion (the Group Conformity Index) in a Delphi study. Their impacts on the following nine Delphi consensus indices were then examined in 1000 simulations: Clustered Mode, Clustered Pairwise Agreement, Conger’s Kappa, De Moivre index, Extremities Version of the Clustered Pairwise Agreement, Fleiss’ Kappa, Mode, the Interquartile Range and Pairwise Agreement. The dependency of a consensus index on the Delphi survey characteristics was expressed from 0.000 (no dependency) to 1.000 (full dependency). The number of questions (range: 6 to 40) in a survey did not have a notable impact whereby the dependency values remained below 0.030. The variation in sample size (range: 6 to 50) displayed the top three impacts for the Interquartile Range, the Clustered Mode and the Mode (dependency = 0.396, 0.130, 0.116, respectively). The Group Conformity Index, a construct akin to measuring stubbornness/flexibility of experts’ opinions, greatly impacted all nine Delphi consensus indices (dependency = 0.200 to 0.504), except the Extremity CPWA and the Interquartile Range that were impacted only beyond the first decimal point (dependency = 0.087 and 0.083, respectively). Scholars in technology design, foresight research and future(s) studies might consider these new findings in strategic planning of Delphi studies, for example, in rational choice of consensus indices and sample size, or accounting for confounding factors such as experts’ variable degrees of conformity (stubbornness/flexibility) in modifying their opinions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stanislav Birko
- Centre of Genomics and Policy, Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- * E-mail: (SB); (VO)
| | - Edward S. Dove
- J. Kenyon Mason Institute for Medicine, Life Sciences and the Law, University of Edinburgh School of Law, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Vural Özdemir
- Faculty of Communications, Office of the President, International Technology and Innovation Policy, Gaziantep University, Üniversite Bulvarı, Şehitkamil, Gaziantep, 27310, Turkey
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Gaziantep University, Üniversite Bulvarı, Şehitkamil, Gaziantep, 27310, Turkey
- Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amrita University, Amritapuri, Clappana P.O., Kollam, Kerala, India
- * E-mail: (SB); (VO)
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Dove ES, Barlas IÖ, Birch K, Boehme C, Borda-Rodriguez A, Byne WM, Chaverneff F, Coşkun Y, Dahl ML, Dereli T, Diwakar S, Elbeyli L, Endrenyi L, Eroğlu-Kesim B, Ferguson LR, Güngör K, Gürsoy U, Hekim N, Huzair F, Kaushik K, Kickbusch I, Kıroğlu O, Kolker E, Könönen E, Lin B, Llerena A, Malhan F, Nair B, Patrinos GP, Şardaş S, Sert Ö, Srivastava S, Steuten LMG, Toraman C, Vayena E, Wang W, Warnich L, Özdemir V. An Appeal to the Global Health Community for a Tripartite Innovation: An "Essential Diagnostics List," "Health in All Policies," and "See-Through 21(st) Century Science and Ethics". OMICS-A JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY 2015; 19:435-42. [PMID: 26161545 DOI: 10.1089/omi.2015.0075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Diagnostics spanning a wide range of new biotechnologies, including proteomics, metabolomics, and nanotechnology, are emerging as companion tests to innovative medicines. In this Opinion, we present the rationale for promulgating an "Essential Diagnostics List." Additionally, we explain the ways in which adopting a vision for "Health in All Policies" could link essential diagnostics with robust and timely societal outcomes such as sustainable development, human rights, gender parity, and alleviation of poverty. We do so in three ways. First, we propose the need for a new, "see through" taxonomy for knowledge-based innovation as we transition from the material industries (e.g., textiles, plastic, cement, glass) dominant in the 20(th) century to the anticipated knowledge industry of the 21st century. If knowledge is the currency of the present century, then it is sensible to adopt an approach that thoroughly examines scientific knowledge, starting with the production aims, methods, quality, distribution, access, and the ends it purports to serve. Second, we explain that this knowledge trajectory focus on innovation is crucial and applicable across all sectors, including public, private, or public-private partnerships, as it underscores the fact that scientific knowledge is a co-product of technology, human values, and social systems. By making the value systems embedded in scientific design and knowledge co-production transparent, we all stand to benefit from sustainable and transparent science. Third, we appeal to the global health community to consider the necessary qualities of good governance for 21st century organizations that will embark on developing essential diagnostics. These have importance not only for science and knowledge-based innovation, but also for the ways in which we can build open, healthy, and peaceful civil societies today and for future generations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Edward S Dove
- 1 J. Kenyon Mason Institute for Medicine, Life Sciences and the Law, University of Edinburgh School of Law , Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - I Ömer Barlas
- 2 Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Mersin University , Mersin, Turkey
| | - Kean Birch
- 3 Department of Social Science, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, York University , Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Catharina Boehme
- 4 Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) , Campus Biotech, Chemin des Mines, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Borda-Rodriguez
- 5 Secretaría Nacional de Educación Superior , Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, Quito, Ecuador .,6 Development Policy and Practice Group, The Open University , Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - William M Byne
- 7 Departments of Psychiatry, The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY and The James J. Peters VA Medical Center , Bronx, New York
| | - Florence Chaverneff
- 8 Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU Langone Medical Center , New York, New York
| | - Yavuz Coşkun
- 9 Office of the President, Gaziantep University , Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Marja-Liisa Dahl
- 10 Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Karolinska Institute , Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Türkay Dereli
- 11 Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Gaziantep University , Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Shyam Diwakar
- 12 Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University) , Amritapuri, Clappana P.O., Kollam, Kerala, India
| | - Levent Elbeyli
- 13 Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University , Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Laszlo Endrenyi
- 14 Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto , Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Lynnette R Ferguson
- 16 Discipline of Nutrition, The University of Auckland , Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Kıvanç Güngör
- 17 Faculty of Health Sciences, Gaziantep University , Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Ulvi Gürsoy
- 18 Department of Periodontology, Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku , Turku, Finland
| | - Nezih Hekim
- 19 School of Medicine, Beykent University , Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Farah Huzair
- 20 Science, Technology and Innovation Studies, School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | | | - Ilona Kickbusch
- 22 Global Health Program, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies , Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Olcay Kıroğlu
- 23 Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Çukurova University , Adana, Turkey
| | - Eugene Kolker
- 24 Bioinformatics and High-Throughput Analysis Laboratory, Seattle Children's Research Institute and CDO Analytics , Seattle Children's, Seattle, Washington.,25 Departments of Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education and Pediatrics, and University of Washington , Seattle, Washington.,26 Data-Enabled Life Sciences Alliance (DELSA Global) , Seattle, Washington.,27 Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, College of Science, Northeastern University , Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Eija Könönen
- 18 Department of Periodontology, Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku , Turku, Finland
| | - Biaoyang Lin
- 28 Department of Urology, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington.,29 Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University , Hangzhou, China
| | - Adrian Llerena
- 30 Extremadura University Hospital and Medical School , Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain
| | - Faruk Malhan
- 31 Istanbul Design Foundation , Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Bipin Nair
- 12 Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University) , Amritapuri, Clappana P.O., Kollam, Kerala, India
| | - George P Patrinos
- 32 Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras School of Health Sciences , Patras, Greece
| | - Semra Şardaş
- 33 Faculty of Pharmacy, Marmara University , Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Özlem Sert
- 34 Urban Studies Center and the Department of History, Hacettepe University , Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Sanjeeva Srivastava
- 35 Proteomics Laboratory, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay , Powai, Mumbai, India
| | - Lotte M G Steuten
- 36 PANAXEA bv , Enschede, The Netherlands .,37 School of Pharmacy, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington
| | - Cengiz Toraman
- 38 Faculty of Communications and Department of Management Sciences, Gaziantep University , Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Effy Vayena
- 39 Institute of Biomedical Ethics, University of Zurich , Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Wei Wang
- 40 School of Medical Sciences, Edith Cowan University , Perth, Australia .,41 Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University , Beijing, China
| | - Louise Warnich
- 42 Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University , Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Vural Özdemir
- 9 Office of the President, Gaziantep University , Gaziantep, Turkey .,11 Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Gaziantep University , Gaziantep, Turkey .,12 Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University) , Amritapuri, Clappana P.O., Kollam, Kerala, India .,26 Data-Enabled Life Sciences Alliance (DELSA Global) , Seattle, Washington.,38 Faculty of Communications and Department of Management Sciences, Gaziantep University , Gaziantep, Turkey
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Özdemir V. New Biology and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2016–2030: Values Steering the OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology Editorial Flight Deck. OMICS-A JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY 2015; 19:369-71. [DOI: 10.1089/omi.2015.0066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vural Özdemir
- Faculty of Communications and the Department of Industrial Engineering, Office of the President, International Technology and Innovation Policy, Gaziantep University, Üniversite Bulvarı, Şehitkamil, Gaziantep, Turkey
- School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), Amritapuri Campus, Kollam, Kerala, India
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
A Delphi Technology Foresight Study: Mapping Social Construction of Scientific Evidence on Metagenomics Tests for Water Safety. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0129706. [PMID: 26066837 PMCID: PMC4465892 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2015] [Accepted: 05/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Access to clean water is a grand challenge in the 21st century. Water safety testing for pathogens currently depends on surrogate measures such as fecal indicator bacteria (e.g., E. coli). Metagenomics concerns high-throughput, culture-independent, unbiased shotgun sequencing of DNA from environmental samples that might transform water safety by detecting waterborne pathogens directly instead of their surrogates. Yet emerging innovations such as metagenomics are often fiercely contested. Innovations are subject to shaping/construction not only by technology but also social systems/values in which they are embedded, such as experts’ attitudes towards new scientific evidence. We conducted a classic three-round Delphi survey, comprised of 107 questions. A multidisciplinary expert panel (n = 24) representing the continuum of discovery scientists and policymakers evaluated the emergence of metagenomics tests. To the best of our knowledge, we report here the first Delphi foresight study of experts’ attitudes on (1) the top 10 priority evidentiary criteria for adoption of metagenomics tests for water safety, (2) the specific issues critical to governance of metagenomics innovation trajectory where there is consensus or dissensus among experts, (3) the anticipated time lapse from discovery to practice of metagenomics tests, and (4) the role and timing of public engagement in development of metagenomics tests. The ability of a test to distinguish between harmful and benign waterborne organisms, analytical/clinical sensitivity, and reproducibility were the top three evidentiary criteria for adoption of metagenomics. Experts agree that metagenomic testing will provide novel information but there is dissensus on whether metagenomics will replace the current water safety testing methods or impact the public health end points (e.g., reduction in boil water advisories). Interestingly, experts view the publics relevant in a “downstream capacity” for adoption of metagenomics rather than a co-productionist role at the “upstream” scientific design stage of metagenomics tests. In summary, these findings offer strategic foresight to govern metagenomics innovations symmetrically: by identifying areas where acceleration (e.g., consensus areas) and deceleration/reconsideration (e.g., dissensus areas) of the innovation trajectory might be warranted. Additionally, we show how scientific evidence is subject to potential social construction by experts’ value systems and the need for greater upstream public engagement on metagenomics innovations.
Collapse
|