CCMB scientist on panel on ethical norms for DNA research
The Hindu
‘Focus on indigeneity can lead to divisiveness and conflict’
Chief scientist from the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and director of the DBT-Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics Dr. K. Thangaraj has joined a diverse set of 64 scholars from 31 countries actively involved in ‘ancient DNA’ research to come out with a set of ethical guidelines in an effort to circumvent differences across the world.
These are: Abide by all regulations in places where they work and from which the human remains originate (since there cannot be one set of regulations for all), prepare a detailed plan prior to beginning any study, minimise damage to human remains, ensure data are made available following publication to allow critical re-examination of scientific findings, and engage with other (non-scientist) stakeholders and ensure respect and sensitivity to stakeholder perspectives.
The guidelines have been published in the science journal ‘Nature’ (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04008-x).