1
|
Jansen SNG, Kamphorst BA, Mulder BC, van Kamp I, Boekhold S, van den Hazel P, Verweij MF. Ethics of early detection of disease risk factors: A scoping review. BMC Med Ethics 2024; 25:25. [PMID: 38443930 PMCID: PMC10913641 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-024-01012-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Scientific and technological advancements in mapping and understanding the interrelated pathways through which biological and environmental exposures affect disease development create new possibilities for detecting disease risk factors. Early detection of such risk factors may help prevent disease onset or moderate the disease course, thereby decreasing associated disease burden, morbidity, and mortality. However, the ethical implications of screening for disease risk factors are unclear and the current literature provides a fragmented and case-by-case picture. METHODS To identify key ethical considerations arising from the early detection of disease risk factors, we performed a systematic scoping review. The Scopus, Embase, and Philosopher's Index databases were searched for peer-reviewed, academic records, which were included if they were written in English or Dutch and concerned the ethics of (1) early detection of (2) disease risk factors for (3) disease caused by environmental factors or gene-environment interactions. All records were reviewed independently by at least two researchers. RESULTS After screening 2034 titles and abstracts, and 112 full papers, 55 articles were included in the thematic synthesis of the results. We identified eight common ethical themes: (1) Reliability and uncertainty in early detection, (2) autonomy, (3) privacy, (4) beneficence and non-maleficence, (5) downstream burdens on others, (6) responsibility, (7) justice, and (8) medicalization and conceptual disruption. We identified several gaps in the literature, including a relative scarcity of research on ethical considerations associated with environmental preventive health interventions, a dearth of practical suggestions on how to address expressed concerns about overestimating health capacities, and a lack of insights into preventing undue attribution of health responsibility to individuals. CONCLUSIONS The ethical concerns arising with the early detection of risk factors are often interrelated and complex. Comprehensive ethical analyses are needed that are better embedded in normative frameworks and also assess and weigh the expected benefits of early risk factor detection. Such research is necessary for developing and implementing responsible and fair preventive health policies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sammie N G Jansen
- Centre for Sustainability, Environment and Health, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, RIVM, P.O. Box 1, Bilthoven, 3720 BA, The Netherlands.
- Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Hollandseweg 1, Wageningen, 6706 KN, The Netherlands.
| | - Bart A Kamphorst
- Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Hollandseweg 1, Wageningen, 6706 KN, The Netherlands
| | - Bob C Mulder
- Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Hollandseweg 1, Wageningen, 6706 KN, The Netherlands
| | - Irene van Kamp
- Centre for Sustainability, Environment and Health, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, RIVM, P.O. Box 1, Bilthoven, 3720 BA, The Netherlands
| | - Sandra Boekhold
- Centre for Sustainability, Environment and Health, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, RIVM, P.O. Box 1, Bilthoven, 3720 BA, The Netherlands
| | - Peter van den Hazel
- International Network on Children's Health, Environment & Safety (INCHES), Ellecom, the Netherlands
| | - Marcel F Verweij
- Ethics Institute, Utrecht University, Janskerkhof 13a, Utrecht, 3512 BL, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Baccarelli A, Dolinoy DC, Walker CL. A precision environmental health approach to prevention of human disease. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2449. [PMID: 37117186 PMCID: PMC10147599 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37626-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Human health is determined by the interaction of our environment with the genome, epigenome, and microbiome, which shape the transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic landscape of cells and tissues. Precision environmental health is an emerging field leveraging environmental and system-level ('omic) data to understand underlying environmental causes of disease, identify biomarkers of exposure and response, and develop new prevention and intervention strategies. In this article we provide real-life illustrations of the utility of precision environmental health approaches, identify current challenges in the field, and outline new opportunities to promote health through a precision environmental health framework.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Baccarelli
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Dana C Dolinoy
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Cheryl Lyn Walker
- Center for Precision Environmental Health, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Fernández-Carrión R, Sorlí JV, Asensio EM, Pascual EC, Portolés O, Alvarez-Sala A, Francès F, Ramírez-Sabio JB, Pérez-Fidalgo A, Villamil LV, Tinahones FJ, Estruch R, Ordovas JM, Coltell O, Corella D. DNA-Methylation Signatures of Tobacco Smoking in a High Cardiovascular Risk Population: Modulation by the Mediterranean Diet. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:3635. [PMID: 36834337 PMCID: PMC9964856 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Biomarkers based on DNA methylation are relevant in the field of environmental health for precision health. Although tobacco smoking is one of the factors with a strong and consistent impact on DNA methylation, there are very few studies analyzing its methylation signature in southern European populations and none examining its modulation by the Mediterranean diet at the epigenome-wide level. We examined blood methylation smoking signatures on the EPIC 850 K array in this population (n = 414 high cardiovascular risk subjects). Epigenome-wide methylation studies (EWASs) were performed analyzing differential methylation CpG sites by smoking status (never, former, and current smokers) and the modulation by adherence to a Mediterranean diet score was explored. Gene-set enrichment analysis was performed for biological and functional interpretation. The predictive value of the top differentially methylated CpGs was analyzed using receiver operative curves. We characterized the DNA methylation signature of smoking in this Mediterranean population by identifying 46 differentially methylated CpGs at the EWAS level in the whole population. The strongest association was observed at the cg21566642 (p = 2.2 × 10-32) in the 2q37.1 region. We also detected other CpGs that have been consistently reported in prior research and discovered some novel differentially methylated CpG sites in subgroup analyses. In addition, we found distinct methylation profiles based on the adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Particularly, we obtained a significant interaction between smoking and diet modulating the cg5575921 methylation in the AHRR gene. In conclusion, we have characterized biomarkers of the methylation signature of tobacco smoking in this population, and suggest that the Mediterranean diet can increase methylation of certain hypomethylated sites.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rebeca Fernández-Carrión
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - José V. Sorlí
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Eva M. Asensio
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Eva C. Pascual
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Olga Portolés
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Andrea Alvarez-Sala
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Francesc Francès
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Alejandro Pérez-Fidalgo
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Clinic Hospital of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
- Biomedical Research Networking Centre on Cancer (CIBERONC), Health Institute Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- INCLIVA Biomedical Research Institute, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Laura V. Villamil
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University Antonio Nariño, Bogotá 111511, Colombia
| | - Francisco J. Tinahones
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Virgen de la Victoria University Hospital, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), University of Málaga, 29590 Málaga, Spain
| | - Ramon Estruch
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Internal Medicine, Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jose M. Ordovas
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Nutrition and Genomics Laboratory, JM-USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA
- Nutritional Control of the Epigenome Group, Precision Nutrition and Obesity Program, IMDEA Food, UAM + CSIC, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Oscar Coltell
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Computer Languages and Systems, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellón, Spain
| | - Dolores Corella
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Meagher KM, Watson S, Suh GA, Virk A. The New Precision Stewards? J Pers Med 2022; 12:jpm12081308. [PMID: 36013256 PMCID: PMC9409858 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12081308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The precision health era is likely to reduce and respond to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Our stewardship and precision efforts share terminology, seeking to deliver the “right drug, at the right dose, at the right time.” Already, rapid diagnostic testing, phylogenetic surveillance, and real-time outbreak response provide just a few examples of molecular advances we dub “precision stewardship.” However, the AMR causal factors range from the molecular to that of global health policy. Mirroring the cross-sectoral nature of AMR science, the research addressing the ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of AMR ranges across academic scholarship. As the rise of AMR is accompanied by an escalating sense of its moral and social significance, what is needed is a parallel field of study. In this paper, we offer a gap analysis of this terrain, or an agenda for “the ELSI of precision stewardship.” In the first section, we discuss the accomplishments of a multi-decade U.S. national investment in ELSI research attending to the advances in human genetics. In the next section, we provide an overview of distinct ELSI topics pertinent to AMR. The distinctiveness of an ELSI agenda for precision stewardship suggests new opportunities for collaboration to build the stewardship teams of the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karen M. Meagher
- Biomedical Ethics Research Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-507-293-9528
| | - Sara Watson
- Biomedical Ethics Research Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Gina A. Suh
- Division of Public Health, Infectious Disease, and Occupational Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Abinash Virk
- Division of Public Health, Infectious Disease, and Occupational Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Khan AT, Gogarten SM, McHugh CP, Stilp AM, Sofer T, Bowers ML, Wong Q, Cupples LA, Hidalgo B, Johnson AD, McDonald MLN, McGarvey ST, Taylor MR, Fullerton SM, Conomos MP, Nelson SC. Recommendations on the use and reporting of race, ethnicity, and ancestry in genetic research: Experiences from the NHLBI TOPMed program. CELL GENOMICS 2022; 2:100155. [PMID: 36119389 PMCID: PMC9481067 DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2022.100155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
How race, ethnicity, and ancestry are used in genomic research has wide-ranging implications for how research is translated into clinical care and incorporated into public understanding. Correlation between race and genetic ancestry contributes to unresolved complexity for the scientific community, as illustrated by heterogeneous definitions and applications of these variables. Here, we offer commentary and recommendations on the use of race, ethnicity, and ancestry across the arc of genetic research, including data harmonization, analysis, and reporting. While informed by our experiences as researchers affiliated with the NHLBI Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program, these recommendations are applicable to basic and translational genomic research in diverse populations with genome-wide data. Moving forward, considerable collaborative effort will be required to ensure that race, ethnicity, and ancestry are described and used appropriately to generate scientific knowledge that yields broad and equitable benefit.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alyna T. Khan
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Public Health Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Caitlin P. McHugh
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Adrienne M. Stilp
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Tamar Sofer
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael L. Bowers
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Quenna Wong
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - L. Adrienne Cupples
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bertha Hidalgo
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Andrew D. Johnson
- Population Sciences Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Framingham, MA, USA
- The Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA, USA
| | - Merry-Lynn N. McDonald
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Stephen T. McGarvey
- Department of Epidemiology and International Health Institute, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Matthew R.G. Taylor
- Department of Medicine, Adult Medical Genetics Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | | | | | - Sarah C. Nelson
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Public Health Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Sabatello M, Martin B, Corbeil T, Lee S, Link BG, Appelbaum PS. Nature vs. Nurture in Precision Education: Insights of Parents and the Public. AJOB Empir Bioeth 2021; 13:79-88. [PMID: 34644234 DOI: 10.1080/23294515.2021.1983666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The philosophical debate about the roles of nature versus nurture in human flourishing is not new. But the rise of precision education-a growing field of research that encourages the use of genetic data to inform educational trajectory and interventions to better meet student needs-has renewed historical and ethical concerns. A major worry is that "genetic hype" may skew public perceptions toward a deterministic perception of the child's educational trajectory, regardless of the child's capacities, and underestimation of environmental factors affecting educational outcomes. We tested this hypothesis with parents and adults from the general public in the US. METHODS A newly developed computerized implicit association test (IAT) to assess automatic associations between genetics or environments and student behaviors that are associated with educational achievement was administered to samples of parents of children below 21 years old (n = 450) and adults from the general public (n = 419). The samples were representative of the adult US population and adjusted to oversample Black/African American participants. An overall D score for participants' IATs (range: [-2, 2]) was calculated on the basis of the speed of participants' responses. RESULTS The mean IAT score for both samples indicated stronger association between the quality of being a good student and environment rather than genetics (parents: mean=-0.146, t = -6.56, p < 0.001; general public: mean = -0.249, t = -9.45, p < 0.0001). Younger participants from the general public showed a stronger association between genetics and educational success than middle-aged participants (β = -0.301, p = 0.006). CONCLUSION The views of parents and the general public on behavioral genetics and education are complex but call for investment in creating educational environments that are supportive of student success. Future research is needed to understand differences across age groups and to explore views of other stakeholders involved in determining children's educational trajectories about the roles of nature versus nurture in precision education.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maya Sabatello
- Center for Precision Medicine and Genomics, Department of Medicine and Division of Ethics, Department of Medical Humanities and Ethics, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Bree Martin
- Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Thomas Corbeil
- Division of Mental Health Data Science, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Seonjoo Lee
- Department of Biostatistics and Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.,New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Bruce G Link
- School of Public Policy, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Paul S Appelbaum
- Center for Research on Ethical, Legal & Social Implications of Psychiatric, Neurologic & Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Juengst ET, Van Rie A. Transparency, trust, and community welfare: towards a precision public health ethics framework for the genomics era. Genome Med 2020; 12:98. [PMID: 33218363 PMCID: PMC7677909 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-020-00800-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Infectious disease control is experiencing a paradigm shift, as pathogen sequencing technologies and digital applications are increasingly implemented for control of diseases such as tuberculosis, Ebola, and COVID-19. A new ethical framework should be a critical part of this emerging paradigm to ensure that the benefit of precision public health interventions based on advances in genomics research is not outweighed by the risks they pose to individuals, families, and vulnerable segments of the population. We suggest that the ethical framework guiding practice in this domain combines standard precepts from public health ethics with emerging ethics principles from precision medicine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric T Juengst
- Center for Bioethics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 333 MacNider Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7240, USA.
| | - Annelies Van Rie
- Family Medicine and Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken R232, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Kenney M, Mamo L. The imaginary of precision public health. MEDICAL HUMANITIES 2020; 46:192-203. [PMID: 31420373 DOI: 10.1136/medhum-2018-011597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, precision medicine has emerged as a charismatic name for a growing movement to revolutionise biomedicine by bringing genomic knowledge and sequencing to clinical care. Increasingly, the precision revolution has also included a new paradigm called precision public health-part genomics, part informatics, part public health and part biomedicine. Advocates of precision public health, such as Sue Desmond-Hellmann, argue that adopting cutting-edge big data approaches will allow public health actors to precisely target populations who experience the highest burden of disease and mortality, creating more equitable health futures. In this article we analyse precision public health as a sociotechnical imaginary, examining how calls for precision shape which public health efforts are seen as necessary and desirable. By comparing the rhetoric of precision public health to precision warfare, we find that precision prescribes technical solutions to complex problems and promises data-driven futures free of uncertainty, unnecessary suffering and inefficient use of resources. We look at how these imagined futures shape the present as they animate public health initiatives in the Global South funded by powerful philanthropic organisations, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as local efforts to address cancer disparities in San Francisco. Through our analysis of the imaginary of precision public health, we identify an emerging tension between health equity goals and precision's technical solutions. Using large datasets to target interventions with greater precision, we argue, fails to address the upstream social determinants of health that give rise to health disparities worldwide. Therefore, we urge caution around investing in precision without a complementary commitment to addressing the social and economic conditions that are the root cause of health inequality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martha Kenney
- Women and Gender Studies, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Laura Mamo
- Health Equity Institute, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Moriarty K, Wolf SM, Veach PM, LeRoy B, MacFarlane IM, Zierhut HA. A roadmap for precision medicine research recruitment: empirical assessment of the public's willingness to participate. Per Med 2020; 17:345-359. [PMID: 32804044 DOI: 10.2217/pme-2019-0125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Aim: Precision medicine research recruitment poses challenges. To better understand factors impacting recruitment, this study assessed hypothetical willingness, public opinions of and familiarity with precision medicine research. Materials & methods: Adult attendees (n = 942) at the 2017 Minnesota State Fair completed an electronic survey. Results: Few respondents had heard of 'precision medicine' (18%), and familiarity came mostly from media (43%). Fifty-six percent expressed hypothetical willingness to participate in precision medicine research. Significant predictors of willingness were: comfort with unconditional research; perceiving precision medicine research as beneficial, trustworthy and confidential; having a graduate degree; comfort with self- but not family-participation; and familiarity with precision/personalized medicine. Conclusion: This study identified predictors of hypothetical willingness to participate in precision medicine research. Alternative recruitment strategies are needed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey Moriarty
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology & Development, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
| | - Susan M Wolf
- Law School, Medical School & Consortium on Law & Values in Health, Environment & The Life Sciences, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
| | - Patricia M Veach
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology & Development, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
| | - Bonnie LeRoy
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology & Development, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
| | - Ian M MacFarlane
- Department of Psychology, Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA 17022 USA
| | - Heather A Zierhut
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology & Development, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Yu JH, Juengst E. Do Groups Have Moral Standing in Unregulated mHealth Research? THE JOURNAL OF LAW, MEDICINE & ETHICS : A JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF LAW, MEDICINE & ETHICS 2020; 48:122-128. [PMID: 32342749 DOI: 10.1177/1073110520917037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Biomedical research using data from participants' mobile devices borrows heavily from the ethos of the "citizen science" movement, by delegating data collection and transmission to its volunteer subjects. This engagement gives volunteers the opportunity to feel like partners in the research and retain a reassuring sense of control over their participation. These virtues, in turn, give both grass-roots citizen science initiatives and institutionally sponsored mHealth studies appealing features to flag in recruiting participants from the public. But while grass-roots citizen science projects are often community-based, mHealth research ultimately depends on the individuals who own and use mobile devices. This inflects the ethos of mHealth research towards a celebration of individual autonomy and empowerment, at the expense of its implications for the communities or groups to which its individual participants belong. But the prospects of group harms - and benefits - from mHealth research are as vivid as they are in other forms of data-intensive "precision health" research, and will be important to consider in the design of any studies using this approach.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joon-Ho Yu
- Joon-Ho Yu, M.P.H., Ph.D., is a Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Genetic Medicine, Division of Bioethics and Palliative Care, Department of Pediatrics; Institute for Public Health Genetics, Department of Biostatistics, at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA; and a member of the Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics at Seattle Children's Hospital and Research Institute in Seattle, WA. Eric Juengst, Ph.D., is the Director of the Center for Bioethics and Professor of Social Medicine in the School of Medicine of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Eric Juengst
- Joon-Ho Yu, M.P.H., Ph.D., is a Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Genetic Medicine, Division of Bioethics and Palliative Care, Department of Pediatrics; Institute for Public Health Genetics, Department of Biostatistics, at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA; and a member of the Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics at Seattle Children's Hospital and Research Institute in Seattle, WA. Eric Juengst, Ph.D., is the Director of the Center for Bioethics and Professor of Social Medicine in the School of Medicine of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Ridenour TA. Precision Strategies as a Timely and Unifying Framework for Ongoing Prevention Science Advances. PREVENTION SCIENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION RESEARCH 2020; 20:110-114. [PMID: 30673920 PMCID: PMC10065086 DOI: 10.1007/s11121-019-0988-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ty A Ridenour
- RTI International, 4030 E. Cornwallis Rd., 326 Cox Bldg., PO Box 12194, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709-2194, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Abstract
Precision medicine is a new health care concept intended to hasten progress toward individualized treatment and, in so doing, to improve everyone's opportunity to enjoy good health. Yet, this concept pays scant attention to opportunities for change in the social determinants that are the major drivers of health. Precision medicine research is likely to generate improvements in medical care but may have the unintended consequence of worsening existing disparities in health care access. For prevention, precision medicine emphasizes comprehensive risk prediction and individual efforts to accomplish risk reduction. The application of the precision medicine vision to type 2 diabetes, a growing threat to population health, fails to acknowledge collective responsibility for a health-promoting society.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wylie Burke
- Department of Bioethics and Humanities, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | | | - David Schenck
- Ethics Program, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Sterling MR, Echeverria SE, Commodore-Mensah Y, Breland JY, Nunez-Smith M. Health Equity and Implementation Science in Heart, Lung, Blood, and Sleep-Related Research: Emerging Themes From the 2018 Saunders-Watkins Leadership Workshop. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2019; 12:e005586. [PMID: 31610713 PMCID: PMC6812546 DOI: 10.1161/circoutcomes.119.005586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Disparities in health outcomes for heart, lung, blood, and sleep-related health conditions are pervasive in the United States, with an unequal burden experienced among structurally disadvantaged populations. One reason for this disparity is that despite the existence of effective interventions that promote health equity, few have been translated and implemented consistently in the healthcare system. To achieve health equity, there is a dire need to implement and disseminate effective evidence-based interventions that account for the complex and multilayered social determinants of health among marginalized groups across healthcare settings. To that end, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science invited early stage investigators to participate in the inaugural Saunders-Watkins Leadership Workshop in May of 2018 at the National Institutes of Health. The goals of the workshop were to: (1) present an overview of health equity research, including areas which require ongoing investigation; (2) review how the fields of health equity and implementation science are related; (3) demonstrate how implementation science could be utilized to advance health equity; and (4) foster early stage investigator career success in heart, lung, blood, and sleep-related research. Herein, we highlight key themes from the 2-day workshop and offer recommendations for the future direction of health equity and implementation science research in the context of heart, lung, blood, and sleep-related health conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Madeline R. Sterling
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Sandra E. Echeverria
- Department of Public Health Education, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC
| | - Yvonne Commodore-Mensah
- Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jessica Y Breland
- Center for Innovation to Implementation, Veterans Affairs, Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA
| | - Marcella Nunez-Smith
- Equity Research and Innovation Center, Division of General Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Sabatello M, Juengst E. Genomic Essentialism: Its Provenance and Trajectory as an Anticipatory Ethical Concern. Hastings Cent Rep 2019; 49 Suppl 1:S10-S18. [PMID: 31268572 PMCID: PMC6740238 DOI: 10.1002/hast.1012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Since the inception of large-scale human genome research, there has been much caution about the risks of exacerbating a number of socially dangerous attitudes linked to human genetics. These attitudes are usually labeled with one of a family of genetic or genomic "isms" or "ations" such as "genetic essentialism," "genetic determinism," "genetic reductionism," "geneticization," "genetic stigmatization," and "genetic discrimination." The psychosocial processes these terms refer to are taken to exacerbate several ills that are similarly labeled, from medical racism and psychological fatalism to economic exploitation and social exclusion. But as genomic information becomes more familiar in clinical and research settings as well as other life activities, do we need to continue to worry so much about this family of attitudes and their impact on existing problems? In genomics, the underlying anxiety has been that disclosure of genomic information will trigger a series of (seemingly unavoidable) negative responses that will affect individuals, their families, and their communities at large. The fundamental social challenges that hyperbolic genomic messaging, low genomic literacy, and "folk biology" help sustain remain to be addressed. If we hope to break the cycle of genomic isms and ations, we will have to get better at resisting overinterpretations of the relevance that genomics has for people's future potentials, ancestral vulnerabilities, community memberships, and ethnic affiliations.
Collapse
|
15
|
Abstract
The promise of personalized genomic medicine is that knowledge of a person's gene sequences and activity will facilitate more appropriate medical interventions, particularly drug prescriptions, to reduce the burden of disease. Early successes in oncology and pediatrics have affirmed the power of positive diagnosis and are mostly based on detection of one or a few mutations that drive the specific pathology. However, genetically more complex diseases require the development of polygenic risk scores (PRSs) that have variable accuracy. The rarity of events often means that they have necessarily low precision: many called positives are actually not at risk, and only a fraction of cases are prevented by targeted therapy. In some situations, negative prediction may better define the population at low risk. Here, I review five conditions across a broad spectrum of chronic disease (opioid pain medication, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, major depression, and osteoporotic bone fracture), considering in each case how genetic prediction might be used to target drug prescription. This leads to a call for more research designed to evaluate genetic likelihood of response to therapy and a call for evaluation of PRS, not just in terms of sensitivity and specificity but also with respect to potential clinical efficacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Greg Gibson
- Center for Integrative Genomics and School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
McGowan ML, Prows CA, DeJonckheere M, Brinkman WB, Vaughn L, Myers MF. Adolescent and Parental Attitudes About Return of Genomic Research Results: Focus Group Findings Regarding Decisional Preferences. J Empir Res Hum Res Ethics 2018; 13:371-382. [PMID: 29806518 DOI: 10.1177/1556264618776613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Opportunities to participate in genomic sequencing studies, as well as recommendations to screen for variants in 59 medically actionable genes anytime clinical genomic sequencing is performed, indicate adolescents will increasingly be involved in decisions about learning secondary findings from genome sequencing. However, how adolescents want to be involved in such decisions is unknown. We conducted five focus groups with adolescents (2) and parents (3) to learn their decisional preferences about return of genomic research results to adolescents. Discussions about decisional preferences centered around three themes: feelings about receiving genomic risk information, adolescent involvement and capacity to participate in decision-making, and recommendations for parental versus collaborative decision-making. We address the contested space between parental duties to act in their children's best interests when choosing which results to return and adolescents' desires to make autonomous decisions. A collaborative decision-making approach is recommended for obtaining consent from adolescents and their parents for genome sequencing research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michelle L McGowan
- 1 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, USA.,2 University of Cincinnati, USA
| | | | | | - William B Brinkman
- 1 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, USA.,2 University of Cincinnati, USA
| | - Lisa Vaughn
- 1 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, USA.,2 University of Cincinnati, USA
| | - Melanie F Myers
- 1 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, USA.,2 University of Cincinnati, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Abstract
Technologies such as next-generation sequencing and chromosomal microarray have advanced the understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of a variety of renal disorders. Genetic findings are increasingly used to inform the clinical management of many nephropathies, enabling targeted disease surveillance, choice of therapy, and family counselling. Genetic analysis has excellent diagnostic utility in paediatric nephrology, as illustrated by sequencing studies of patients with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract and steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome. Although additional investigation is needed, pilot studies suggest that genetic testing can also provide similar diagnostic insight among adult patients. Reaching a genetic diagnosis first involves choosing the appropriate testing modality, as guided by the clinical presentation of the patient and the number of potential genes associated with the suspected nephropathy. Genome-wide sequencing increases diagnostic sensitivity relative to targeted panels, but holds the challenges of identifying causal variants in the vast amount of data generated and interpreting secondary findings. In order to realize the promise of genomic medicine for kidney disease, many technical, logistical, and ethical questions that accompany the implementation of genetic testing in nephrology must be addressed. The creation of evidence-based guidelines for the utilization and implementation of genetic testing in nephrology will help to translate genetic knowledge into improved clinical outcomes for patients with kidney disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily E Groopman
- Division of Nephrology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, 1150 Saint Nicholas Avenue, Russ Berrie Pavilion #412C, New York, New York 10032, USA
| | - Hila Milo Rasouly
- Division of Nephrology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, 1150 Saint Nicholas Avenue, Russ Berrie Pavilion #412C, New York, New York 10032, USA
| | - Ali G Gharavi
- Division of Nephrology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, 1150 Saint Nicholas Avenue, Russ Berrie Pavilion #412C, New York, New York 10032, USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Aungst H, Fishman JR, McGowan ML. Participatory Genomic Research: Ethical Issues from the Bottom Up to the Top Down. Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet 2017; 18:357-367. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genom-091416-035230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Heide Aungst
- Center for Pediatric Genomics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229
| | - Jennifer R. Fishman
- Biomedical Ethics Unit, Department of Social Studies of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1X1, Canada
| | - Michelle L. McGowan
- Ethics Center, Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229
- Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221
| |
Collapse
|