ethical issues in translational research

Ethical Issues in Translational Research

Emma A. Meagher, MD

[email protected]

Clinical Care vs. Research• Clinical care

– provide direct benefit to the patient

• Research– Contribute to generalizable knowledge

– Medicine depends on research to elucidate mechanism of disease and identify treatment strategies

– Special attention to possible harm to the subject

– Regulatory codes place the responsibility for the ethical conduct of research primarily on the shoulders of the researchers

Clinical Research

Patient Oriented Research Large Randomized + Observational Trials

Proof of Proof of Concept Concept Animals Humans

“Translational Research”

Epidemiology +

Health Services Research

Bench Research

Research Interfaces

The Evolution of HSR Standards• 1947 – Nuremberg Code

• 1964 – Declaration of Helsinki

• 1979 – Belmont Report– DHHS and FDA to adopt regulatory requirements for IRB

review (1981)

• 1991 – The Common Rule– Now codified by 18 federal agencies

• 1997 – Good Clinical Practices

The Belmont Report• Purpose of the report is to provide three principles

(prescriptive judgments) to assist researchers, subjects, reviewers and interested citizens with an understanding of the ethical issues inherent in HSR

• Statement consists of 3 parts

– Distinction between research and medical practice– Establishment of 3 ethical principles– Remarks regarding application of the principles

The Belmont Report

• Practice– Interventions designed solely to enhance the

wellbeing of the patient and that have a reasonable expectation of success

• Research– An activity designed to test an hypothesis, permit

conclusions to be drawn, develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge

The Belmont Report Three Ethical Principles

• Principle of respect for persons autonomy

• Principle of beneficence

• Principle of justice

Respect for Persons Autonomy

• Enters research voluntarily and with adequate information

• Implies everyone is capable of self determination

– Matures during life span

– May be lost in whole or in part as a result of illness, mental disability or circumstances that restrict liberty

– Cannot exclude those incapable of self determination

• Respect for such situations requires protection

– Explicit requirement that each class of incompetent patient be considered on its own terms

– Third parties whose primary goal is to protect the subject from harm should be used and that these individuals be allowed to observe the research

The Belmont Report - Three Ethical Principles


• Principle of beneficence

• Principle of justice

Beneficence

• Acts of kindness or charity that go beyond strict obligation

• Strict sense of obligation– Do not harm– Maximize possible benefits– Minimize possible harms– Seek benefit despite certain risks– Benefits should be forgone because of the risk

• Requires a risk benefit assessment be made

The Belmont Report - Three Ethical Principles


• Principle of beneficence– Requires a risk benefit assessment be made

• Principle of justice– Fairness in selection of subjects– Potential benefit is denied – Burden is imposed

How to Apply the 3 Principles• Autonomy - Informed consent

– Information– Comprehension– Voluntariness

• Beneficence – determination of the risk and benefits– Investigator – study design– Peer review – risks are justified– Subject – the determination to participate

• Justice– Selection of subjects described by the researcher– Reviewed during the peer review process– Determined to be equitable




review (1981)



The Common Rule

• First time after more than 25 years in the making a comprehensive regulatory framework existed that formally governed all human subjects research conducted by the federal government or in facilitates receiving federal funds

• Mandates role of the IRB• Defines requirements for informed consent • Codifies special requirements for vulnerable populations

– Pregnant women, fetuses, IVF subpart A– Prisoners –subpart C– Children –sub part D

• Requires institutional assurance of compliance

Responsibility of the IRB

– Protect the rights and welfare of research subjects

– Oversight of the conduct of ALL human research

– Guidance and support to research staff through IRB review and administrative IRB support staff

– Ensures compliance with all federal, state, local and institutional requirements in human subject research

IRB Decision Matrix

BENEFICENCE JUSTICE

RESPECT FOR PERSONS

Privacy & ConfidentialityProtection of subjects (especially vulnerable

populations)

Informed consentSurrogate consent

Assent

Risk/Benefit AnalysisExperimental DesignQualifications of PI

Subject selectionInclusion/exclusion

Recruitment

Expanded IRB Decision MatrixSeven Principles

• Social or scientific value

• Scientific validity

• Fair subject selection

• Favorable risk benefit ratio

• Independent review

• Informed consent

• Respect for autonomy

The Common Rule





Elements of Informed Consent• Purpose

• Methods and procedures– Painstakingly precise

• Risks and discomforts– Known and unknown– Risks of disease versus research participation

• Benefits– Promise of benefit

• Alternatives to participation– Decision relative to their own clinical condition

• Voluntary and uncoerced – Payment considerations– Cost consideration

Elements of Informed Consent

• Other considerations

– Study discontinuation by sponsor / FDA / investigator

– Participation discontinuation by participant

– Participation discontinuation by investigator

– Injury during a study• Standard language concerning liability

– Use of personal Information• Privacy• HIPPA

– Human Subjects rights

The Common Rule








review (1981)



Good Clinical Practice (GCP)

• Provides: “ A unified standard for the design, conduct, recording, and reporting of clinical trials that provides assurance that the data and reported results are credible and accurate, and that the rights, integrity, and confidentiality of trial subjects are protected”.

• Have been adopted by industry and academia worldwide

• Clinical research must be conducted in a scientifically sound and ethical manner whether it is intended for regulatory submission (FDA) or not

Which Regulations Apply and When?

FDA: research involves products regulated by FDA (Title 21)

Common Rule: Federally supported or conducted or conducted in an institution that agrees to review all research under the Common Rule (CFR 46)

Both: if Federally funded research involves FDA regulated product or FDA regulated research conducted in an institution that agrees to review all research under the Common Rule

Your Responsibility as an Investigator

• 45 CFR Part 46– DHHS Human Subjects

Regulations Social or scientific value

• Scientific validity

• Fair subject selection

• Favorable risk benefit ratio

• Independent review

• Informed consent

• Respect for autonomy

• 21 CFR – 50 Informed Consent

– 56 IRB Regulations

– 54 Financial Disclosure

– 312 Investigational New Drug

– 314 New Drug Application

– 600 Biological Products

– 812 Investigational Device Exemptions

GCP Defines

• Responsibilities of the investigator and/or sponsor

• What is a clinical research protocol?

• Requirement for informed consent and how to obtain it

• Requirements for adverse event reporting

• Interactions with IRB

• Regulations governing the use of investigational drugs

13 Principles of Good Clinical Practices

• Trials are conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and consistent with GCP and other applicable regulations.

• The risks and inconveniences of the trials should be weighed against the benefit.

• Subject’s rights, safety and well-being prevail over science and society’s interest.

• Available information on the investigational product should be adequate to support the study.


• Clinical trials should be scientifically sound and described in a clear concise protocol

• The trial should be conducted in accordance with an IRB approved protocol

• Medical decisions and care of the subject is always the responsibility of a qualified physician

• Study team members should be qualified through education, training and experience to perform their study related tasks.


• Informed consent should be obtained from every subject before participation

• All trial information should be recorded, handled and stored to ensure accurate reporting, interpretation and verification.

• The confidentiality of records should be protected thus respecting the privacy and confidentiality of subjects.

• Investigational products should be manufactured, stored and handled in accordance with GMPs.

• Systems with procedures that assure the quality of every aspect of the trial should be implemented.

GCP and the Clinical Protocol

- A clinical protocol for GCP addresses the- Science

- Background, rationale, study design, statistics

- Human subjects protection- Autonomy, beneficence, justice,

- One step further it defines the procedures- Study procedures (time and event charts, dose escalation

schedules)- Data collection/recording/storage/reporting/analysis- Monitoring / AE reporting- Requirement for case report forms

7 Rules of a Good Protocol• Clearly identify your primary objective

- there should be only one primary objective

- it will drive the sample size.

- secondary objectives can be multiple

• Tell the story of the study in the rationale– Why are you doing the study? – What is the logic?– What do you hope to demonstrate?

• Design your study to achieve the primary objective– study procedures, study design, statistical analysis, use

of control

7 Rules of a Good Protocol

• Ensure consistency from section to section

• “The devil is the details”– Give clear directions for each step of the protocol– Consider the relationship of one procedure on another– Develop a flow sheet for study day or week– State how the data will be handled and analyzed

• Carefully consider the conditions of the evaluations performed in the study– Avoid unnecessary measures, how often does a blood

sample need to to taken?

GCP - 7 Rules of Good Protocol

• Safety – For novel compounds, does the toxicology in animals

cover the dose and duration in humans?

– Has the route of dosing been studied in animals?

– How will subject’s safety be evaluated, by whom, how often?

– How will severe/serious events be evaluated?

– Define AE and SAE and their reporting requirements.

– How will the study be monitored?

Summary• Research conduct directed by existence of

two sets of federal guidelines– GCP and the Common Rule

• Both are centered on the 3 fundamental pillars of research ethics

• Both mandate – Informed consent– Peer Review– Standards for clinical trial conduct

Clinical Research

Patient Oriented Research Large Randomized + Observational Trials

Proof of Proof of Concept Concept Animals Humans

“Translational Research”

Epidemiology +

Health Services Research

Bench Research

Research Interfaces

Upholding ethical responsibility• Autonomy - Informed consent

– Information– Comprehension– Voluntariness

• Beneficence – determination of the risk and benefits– Peer review – risks are justified– Investigator – study design– Subject – the determination to participate

• Justice– Selection of subjects described by the researcher– Reviewed during the peer review process– Determined to be equitable

ethical issues in translational research

Documents

ethical conduct of research

researchthe belmont

ethical principlesremarks

madethe belmont report

risk benefit assessment

ethical issues inherent

class of incompetent

irb review