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Conference ponders a new `Taiwanese Biobank'

A group of academics and medical professionals gathered yesterday to ponder ethical issues and related controversies that might arise from the establishment of a national biobank.

Speaking at a conference organized by the Foundation of Medical Professionals Alliance in Taiwan, Tsai Tu-chien (蔡篤堅), director of Taipei Medical University's Institute of Medical Humanities, said more legal professionals are required to help build a legal framework concerning human genome studies and the possible establishment of a biobank in Taiwan.

Building a legal framework -- aimed at supervising the biobank in terms of ethical and other related issues -- would at least help alleviate doubts harbored by Aborigines and help win their trust regarding the planned biobank, Tsai said.

An Academia Sinica plan to establish a "Taiwanese Biobank" -- based on a pool of native genes, and with the aim of running massive, cross-generation studies to understand the interconnection between Taiwanese and the local environment as well as enhancing the efficacy of disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment -- was shelved last year after human rights groups intervened to voice Aborigines' doubts and anger regarding the plan.

Meanwhile, Lee Jui-chuan (李瑞全), director of National Central University's Institute of Philosophy, said the Aborigines and the rest of the public were hesitant to embrace the plan over fears that their genes and genetic data might be abused, resulting in their privacy being infringed or their families stigmatized.

Lee said that together with the establishment of the "Taiwanese Biobank," a feedback mechanism should be implemented to allow genetic donors to be reasonably rewarded if any commercial dividends result.
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