Biospecimen 'Ownership': Point Roberta B. Ness on behalf of the American College of Epidemiology Policy Committee Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

摘要

Biorepositories are rare and valuable resources, so it is perhaps not surprising that their "ownership" has been the focus of recent controversy and debate. From the vantage point of the epidemiologist, decisions about ownership or "custodianship" of biorepositories collected for research should be guided by a discrete set of principles (http:// www.acepidenuology2.org/policystmts). First, custodianship should encourage openness of scientific inquiry and should maximize biospecimen use and sharing so as to exploit the full potential to promote health. Second, the privacy of participants must be protected and informed consent must provide provisions for unanticipated biospecimen use. Third, the intellectual investment of investigators involved in the creation of a biorepository is often substantial and should be respected. Finally, sharing of specimens needs to protect proprietary information and to address the concerns of third-party funders.