ETHICAL CHALLENGES AND IMPLICATIONS OF CLINICAL GENETIC AND GENOMIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR THE LOW MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES

Estella Achick Tembe*, Marceline Djuidje Ngounoue, Samgena Galega, Marie Therese Abena Obama Ondoa, Charles Fokunang

ABSTRACT

Rapid advances in genetic research during the past two decades have challenged scientists, health care professionals, ethicists, government regulators, legislators, and consumers to reflect on new developments. A constant update with the scientific advances and their implications is important for all stakeholders involved in making informed decisions about the ways in which genetic research and information will affect the lives of current and future generations. The potential benefits and risks associated with genetic and genomics research is different from the types of potential benefits and risks associated with other types of health research like clinical trials and biomedical research involving human subjects. Unlike most potential risks associated with biomedical research or clinical trials are in most cases biological in nature, potential risks associated with genomic research are mostly socioeconomic in nature. Although the peculiarity of some of the aspects of genetic research and the complexity of the science involved are identified, the extent to which these characteristics hinder issues of disclosure of information is a practical challenge that tends to be hyper in most situations. Genetic and genomic research since the unraveling of the human genome has the potential for drug discovery and development of new drugs and biologics like vaccines for the poverty related diseases of developing nations. This write up presents the various types of challenges and implication of genetic and genomic research for low middle income countries, and gives an insight to illustrate some ethical issues, followed by proposal on possible ways of managing genomic studies as some of the major challenges in emerging countries.

Keywords: Genetics, genomics, ethical issues, drug development, clinical research.