Consent and Research
May 20, 2015
(Genome Web) – A new law requiring consent from parents before conducting research on blood spots collected from newborns is raising concerns among some public health experts that such a requirement could hamper both fundamental research and research to improve such screens, Science‘s Jennifer Couzin-Frankel reports. In the US, the newborn screening program tests infants for some 30 rare and serious diseases that can be treated if caught early enough. These blood spots are often also used for research.