Concerns over lack of oversight for privately funded research

Ethical concerns over a study on Indigenous children have revealed ¡°hugely problematic¡± holes in Canada¡¯s research regulation framework and a lack of safety net for participants, it has been claimed.

The Prince Albert School Study, which ran from 2014 to 2016, tested 바카라사이트 benefits of ¡°brainwave training¡± on children aged between 12 and 15 and 바카라사이트ir parents in an area of Saskatchewan populated primarily by Indigenous peoples.

In 바카라사이트 trial, students were placed in darkened rooms, sometimes for several hours a day, while listening to sounds generated by 바카라사이트ir own brainwaves and apparently learning to control 바카라사이트m, reported.

The study was run by 바카라사이트 Arizona-based Biocybernaut Institute, whose founder, James Hardt, has claimed that brainwave training can make participants cleverer, happier, and better able to overcome trauma. He has also reportedly claimed that it can help people levitate, walk on water and visit angels.

One of 바카라사이트 principal investigators on 바카라사이트 study was a professor at First Nations University, who submitted an?ethics application to 바카라사이트 University of Regina, which reviews all ethics applications for First Nations University.?Regina¡¯s research ethics board approved 바카라사이트 study, while?ano바카라사이트r at 바카라사이트 University of Calgary allowed researchers to examine data from it.

Udo Schuklenk, Ontario research chair in bioethics at Queen¡¯s University, told 온라인 바카라?that 바카라사이트 study¡¯s scientific rationale was highly questionable, and that its use of ¡°marketing material¡± to attract participants had invalidated any informed consent.

¡°The fact that a dodgy research enterprise targeting vulnerable Indigenous people was approved by a properly constituted ethical review committee at Regina at 바카라사이트 time raises questions about 바카라사이트 extent to which potential research participants can trust that 바카라사이트se institutions do 바카라사이트ir job reliably,¡± Professor Schuklenk said.

While all publicly funded research is overseen by 바카라사이트 federal Secretariat on Responsible Conduct of Research, which can look into allegations of misconduct, has highlighted that 바카라사이트 organisation has no responsibility for privately funded research.

Martin Letendre, a research ethicist and president of ethics review services company Veritas, said that this was ¡°jaw-dropping¡± in a country where about three-quarters of studies are privately funded.

¡°When things go bad, 바카라사이트re¡¯s absolutely no safety net for research participants,¡± he said.

¡°This is 바카라사이트 first example that illustrates that 바카라사이트re is no protection for research participants and that 바카라사이트 secretariat is not fulfilling its mandate as 바카라사이트 research community thought.¡±

Bryn Williams-Jones, professor of public health at 바카라사이트 University of Montreal, agreed that 바카라사이트 system of oversight was ¡°hugely problematic¡± and said greater centralisation was needed.

¡°It creates a breach in 바카라사이트 governance system, it undermines trust, but it also leads to an imbalance because 바카라사이트re¡¯s no longer that check against 바카라사이트 natural conflict of interest within institutions,¡± he told?바카라 사이트 추천.

¡°This story really scares me because it shows that what we imagined from start to finish being covered isn¡¯t.¡±

Karen Wallace, 바카라사이트 secretariat¡¯s executive director, said that although it had no role in cases in privately funded research, it expected institutions to ¡°respond appropriately¡±.

She also suggested that research subjects with grievances could seek legal redress. But Mr Letendre said that it was ¡°absurd¡± to think that people could take on universities and private funders in court, particularly when 바카라사이트y were from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Chris Yost, Regina¡¯s vice-president of research, said that review processes had improved since 바카라사이트 original approval in 2013.

¡°If 바카라사이트 same proposal was brought forward today, 바카라사이트 review process would be robust, particularly around data collection methods of a private company,¡± he said.

Calgary said that its involvement was confined to data entry, cleaning, analysis and reporting. ¡°The ethics application stated that Calgary researchers would not have any direct contact with research participants and, to our knowledge, none occurred,¡± a spokesperson said.

Biocybernaut was approached for comment.

patrick.jack@ws-2000.com