Unapproved Stem cell treatment for autism, spinal injuries, Parkinsonism and diabetes are being offered in various Chinese health institutes, thus ignoring the Ministry of Health’s regulations of a few months old.

In 2009, the Ministry categorized stem cell research a grade 3 health technology and labeled it as high risk. In January, the ministry required all those utilizing stem cell treatments to register their research and halt treatments until proven. In addition they have to secure an ethical clearance. So far [...]

The Salim El-Hoss Bioethics and Professionalism Program at the American University of Beirut, Faculty of Medicine in joint sponsorship with Cleveland Clinic announces it 3rd regional conference titled: Stem Cell Research: Current Controversies. It will be held September 14 and 15th, 2012 at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Beirut, Lebanon. For more information click on the following link: Call for abstract- 3rd regional conference Beirut-Lebanon Sept 2012

Participants in the Training for members of RECs in Amman, Jordan

MERETI, in collaboration with Salim El-Hoss Bioethics Program of AUB and the Jordanian Society of Forensic Science, held a  5-day workshop on Research Ethics for members of Research Ethics Committees (REC) for individuals from the Arab region. The workshop, held in Amman Jordan, was attended by more than 50 participants from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen, Qatar, UAE, Lebanon and Egypt.  One attendee was also from Afghanistan where he [...]

Dr. Tamer Hifnawy, a MERETI alumnus, was invited to give a talk during PRIM&R Advancing Research Ethics Conference held in December 2011. His presentation addressed the Egyptian experience of globalization of research with particular focus on sponsors, Contract Research Organizations (CROs) and Institutional Review Boards. In this blog, I shall give an overview of his presentation. Hifnawy also presented concerns of informed consent such as language barriers and lengthy complex forms.

Dr. Hifnawy, an Associate Professor of Public Health in Beni Suef [...]

The outsourcing of clinical trials in India is still making headlines because of questionable ethics. Now recent questions are being raised regarding the ethics of recruitment strategies.

Tim Sandler, from NBC, talked to Rajesh Nadia in Ahmedabad, who is paid $12 for each participant he recruits to the three Indian research labs with whom he works,  a sizable sum in an area where the average pay is only 50 cent per day. To Nadia, he is doing a humanitarian effort for [...]