A code of ethics for evidence-based research with ancient human remains

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary Medicine
• Bioethics
• Medical Research Ethics

Background:

• Clinical research increasingly utilizes evolutionary concepts.
• Ethical frameworks for using ancient human remains in research, especially for ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis, are underdeveloped.
• Existing bioethics and biomedical ethics fields offer limited guidance on instrumentalizing ancient human remains for disease marker analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the ethical void concerning the use of ancient human remains in evidence-based medical research.
• To establish a discourse on the ethical implications of ancient DNA extraction and analysis for disease research.
• To present the development and philosophical-ethical basis of a self-created code of ethics for evolutionary medicine research.

Main Methods:

• Development of a self-governing code of ethics through dialogue with researchers.
• Publication of the code of ethics online in September 2011.
• Philosophical-ethical analysis of the code of conduct and its underlying methods.

Main Results:

• A comprehensive code of ethics was created and published by the Centre for Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Zurich.
• The code provides a framework for addressing ethical challenges in using ancient human remains for research.
• The study outlines the philosophical and ethical underpinnings of this novel code.

Conclusions:

• There is a critical need for specific ethical guidelines when utilizing ancient human remains in contemporary medical research.
• The developed code of ethics serves as a model for other institutions engaged in evolutionary medicine and aDNA research.
• Integrating ethical considerations is crucial for advancing evidence-based research involving ancient human biological samples.