High-throughput sequencing and ethical issues

In France, bioethics legislation was introduced in 1983 by the National Consultative Ethics Committee (CCNE). The first bioethics laws were passed in 1994. They are designed to provide a framework for innovative medical and technological practices, while ensuring respect for human dignity. They also aim to prevent any form of exploitation derived from medicine (organ trafficking, human cloning, etc.). On a global scale, the International Bioethics Committee is a branch of Unesco. It takes into account the constant progress of medicine and the ethical and legal challenges of research in the life sciences sector. These laws are reviewed at least every five years. Among the points discussed in 2018 were sequencing and genomic engineering techniques at the service of predictive medicine. According to the CCNE, there is an urgent need to regulate practices involving NGS. At present, total genome...