Lecture 8 Ethics Flashcards
Animal research in the UK is regulated by
the home office
the 3 principles of regulations are
reduce, refine, replace
all researchers performing animal research need a
home office personal licence
researchers can only perform research under control of
project licences
how long do project licences last?
5 years
work under a project licence can only be performed where what is in place?
an establishment licence
Which act is implemented by the home office?
Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA)
what are the 4 local governance bodies at all unis?
AWERB- animal welfare and ethical review body
PAAC1 and 2- Procedures on Animals Assessment Committee
3Rs committee
BSMB- Biological Service Management Board
what does PAAC1 and 2 do?
reviews project licences before they are sent to home office
what does the 3Rs committee do?
oversees midterm reviews of grants and promotes good practice
what does BSMB do?
ensures compliance with laws, facilities for animals etc
what does national centre for 3Rs do?
gives out grants to improve research- funding research that using alternatives to animals
3Rs replacement define:
methods which avoid/replace use of animals
3Rs reduce define:
methods which reduce the number of animals used per experiment
3Rs Refine define:
methods which minimise suffering and maximise welfare
overview ethics and technology
the mind is the last refuge of personal freedom and self-determination, however with advances in neural engineering, imaging and pervasive tech the mind may no longer be inaccessible- important to get ethics right
what is disruptive technology
technology which changes the field, becoming commonplace and outcompeting other tech
discuss CRIPR-CAS9 and ethics
easy gene editing
- could be revolutionary, however, there are concerns about unintended consequences
in 2015 scientists put self-imposed ban on using in germlines
broken by Chinese researchers who used to prevent offspring getting HIV- were jailed
discuss optogenetics and ethics
allows researcher to activate and inhibit cells of their choosing in brain, involved in much research into disease
in order to get opsin into cells, adenovirus is used and we don’t know about long term consequences/off-target effects
ideas on using on humans but difficult to compare to mouse research as it’s much longer term and different brain
what 3 ethical issues are the BRAIN initiative mission and human brain project guided by?
1) how to deal with what we learn about cognitive enhancement- ensuring all people have equal access to tools to prevent increasing inequality
2) how to deal with the need to research on people who cannot properly consent e.g. AD or TBI patients
3) how to incorporate what we learn about neuroscience into legal system- preventing overreliance on neuroscience in courts
what is the newest disruptive technology and what’s it’s risks/benefits
AI
could overtake roles of humans who can’t compete
could also benefit humans hugely
what are the levels of ethics from national to individual
national- government- UK R&I
Body- medical research council
Unis- Russell group
Institution- e.g. UoS
Individual- PI (and all the researchers working under)
what are the 7 elements of the ethical code set out by chief government scientific advisor?
- act with skill and care (keep training up to date etc)
- prevent corrupt practice- (declare any conflict of interest)
- respect and acknowledge the work of other scientists (i.e. don’t plagiarise)
- research justified and lawful
- minimise impact on people, animals, environment
- discuss issues (with the wider community/public)
- do not mislead (fabricate/falsify)
what are the 4 key types of malpractice
fabrication
falsification
plagiarism
breaking confidentiality
