PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Pamela Tozzo
AU  - Renzo Pegoraro
AU  - Luciana Caenazzo
TI  - Biobanks for non-clinical purposes and the new law on forensic biobanks: does the Italian context protect the rights of minors?
AID  - 10.1136/jme.2010.037606
DP  - 2010 Dec 01
TA  - Journal of Medical Ethics
PG  - 775--778
VI  - 36
IP  - 12
4099  - http://jme.bmj.com/content/36/12/775.short
4100  - http://jme.bmj.com/content/36/12/775.full
SO  - J Med Ethics2010 Dec 01; 36
AB  - Biobanks are an important resource for medical research. Genetic research on biological material from minors can yield valuable information that can improve our understanding of genetic–environmental interactions and the genesis and development of early onset genetic disorders. The major ethical concerns relating to biobanks concern consent, privacy, confidentiality, commercialisation, and the right to know or not to know. However, research on paediatric data raises specific governance and ethical questions with regard to consent and privacy. We have considered the Italian normative context focusing on what is mentioned in each document on the ethical and legal requirements that guarantee the rights of minors. We found out that there is no systematic reflection on the ethical and policy issues arising from the participation of minors in biobank research. Moreover, we have focused on the same aspects for the new Italian Law on the National Forensic Biobank.