When deciding to start a training course in the field of scientific research, we are invited to know the rules and rules of conduct that regulate it. On the occasion of the annual meeting of our Postgraduate Program in Immunology, we invite students recently enrolled in the program between 1/11/2019 until 01/07/2020, to dive into topics related to research ethics, database manipulation, and biosafety, to acquire the indispensable tools for the training course in graduate studies. Emphasizing that they are international standards.

 

 

“Research ethics govern the standards of conduct for scientific researchers. It is important to adhere to ethical principles in order to protect the dignity, rights and welfare of research participants. ” ( www.who.int)

 

“The risk of exposure to biological agents in a research environment depends on a number of parameters (eg, the agent, its virulence, subject's susceptibility, route of transmission, etc.). In general, the biosafety procedures used are designed to prevent such exposures by containing the agents. To properly design the containment, it is important to recognize the potential routes of transmission for the given agent. ” ( http://www.bu.edu/researchsupport/ )

 

The proposal of the work is that the newly enrolled students divided in 3 groups (ethics in research with human beings, ethics in research with animals and biosafety) can deepen in the laws and norms that regulate these areas and produce an “educational” content to instruct the other colleagues. The content can be prepared in video format, with a maximum duration of 5 min.

 

Each of these areas has a web site with “practical” information (how to present a project, etc.), but sometimes the knowledge of “why” is lacking. This educational content is intended to help graduate students understand the importance of working in accordance with national and international standards.

For example: what are the rights of volunteers who participate in a research project? Why can't I just collect the biological sample and use it for 200 experiments? What is the smallest number of animals I should use to minimize the sacrifice? Why do I have to work in NB2 or NB3 laboratories to manipulate certain biological materials?

 

Each group will have the support of a professional with experience in the subject area to discuss and answer questions. For more information, check the instructions in the Notice - Educational work .