Online course on biomedical research ethics

Updated on: Monday, December 07, 2009

In the city recently, a very significant meeting likely to have far reaching ramifications for bio-medical research in the country, was held rather quietly in Sri Ramachandra University, Porur. The varsity along with the University of Miami is offering an online course on research ethics education for India and other countries in the region. “The value of medical research ethics cannot be understated, especially at a time when India has emerged in the list of top destinations for clinical trials,” S.P.Thyagarajan, Pro Chancellor (Research), SRU, told The Hindu. There are currently 150 clinical research organisations that are directly or indirectly (in collaboration with multinationals) conducting trials in the country. Collaborations of this kind are all set to increase in the coming years and this is all set to increase in the future, K.P.Mishra, president, Indian Biophysical Society, explained. Ethical issues are of prime importance, more so because of dilutions in the past that have threatened the conduct of clinical trials. Melody Lin, deputy director, National Institutes of Health Office for Human Research Protection, U.S., who was present on the occasion to launch the workshop said the online course being offered jointly by Indian and American varsities was bang on time. “If you have good clinical practices, multi-nationals are going to be interested. That means more trials for the country. It is indeed time to enhance the ethical standards and ensure that every member of a research team is aware,” she said. The reasons that India is a hot destination include its huge population resource and varied disease base. Dr. Lin added that India's IT advantage and the willingness of the government to implement reforms is also key. The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) programme of the University of Miami will provide high quality web-based instruction in research ethics not only in India, but also for researchers in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. According to the Memorandum of Understanding between the two varsities, it also envisages creating a Centre of Excellence at SRU and eventually, develop a course that will be appropriately tailored for Indian requirements, Paul Braunschweiger, director, Office of Research Education, University of Miami, said. The online programme is only one piece of the pie, he added. There will be seminars, group discussions and other activities that will build the basic ethical foundation. Institutions and researchers can decide the shape of future interactions with the CITI programme, depending on their requirements, Dr. Braunschweiger informed. Dr. Thyagarajan said universities, individuals and research institutions in any part of the country can apply to be part of the training programme.

Online course on biomedical research ethics

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