Publication
Published on: March 27, 2026
Published in: Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics
Description: Mark Barnes, Faculty Co-Director of the MRCT Center and partner at Ropes & Gray, with co-authors, published International Ethical Principles for Banking and Secondary Research Use of Human Biospecimens and Associated Data: The Seattle Principles in the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics. International biospecimen sharing is essential to advancing science and developing therapies that benefit all populations — yet the field lacks a harmonized ethical and regulatory framework across jurisdictions. Drawing on extensive stakeholder engagement through forums including ISBER, PRIM&R, and the UN General Assembly Science Summit, the authors propose eleven foundational principles covering transparency, consent, privacy, community welfare, governance, and responsible stewardship of biospecimen resources, with the goal of establishing common ethical ground for the global research community.
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , First View , pp. 1 – 9