Research Ethics

All research conducted in BMRC research units is guided by the local regulations and guidelines issued on the subject.

In addition, all grant recipients are required to obtain ethics approval from the appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) for their research. They must also conform to the highest standards and strict scientific and ethical guidelines governing biomedical sciences research issued by the Ministry of Health in Singapore and the Bioethics Advisory Committee.

Advisory Committees:

Research involving human subjects or human tissue

In November 2004, the Bioethics Advisory Committee (BAC) released its guidelines for ethics governance of research involving human subjects, entitled “Research involving Human Subjects: Guidelines for IRBs”. These guidelines state that institutions have the overall responsibility of ensuring the proper conduct of human biomedical research carried out by their employees on their premises, and recommend that all human biomedical research in Singapore, including research involving human tissue and related matter, should be reviewed and approved by a properly constituted Institutional Review Board (IRB) before it is allowed to proceed.

Currently, the NUS IRB acts as the institutional review board/ethics committee for BMRC’s research units; it reviews, evaluates, approves or proposes modifications to any proposed or ongoing research involving human subjects participating in indirect human biomedical research and the use of human tissue and other samples. The proposals submitted by BMRC research units are reviewed by the NUS IRB in accordance with the Health Sciences Authority’s Singapore Guideline for Good Clinical Practice, Bioethics Guidelines for IRBs on research involving human subjects, and all applicable laws, rules and regulations, and such other internationally accepted standards and guidelines applicable to research involving human participants or the use of human tissue as the NUS IRB may adopt.

Research involving animals

The NACLAR Guidelines on the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes was released in Oct 2004. It describes the operational aspects pertaining to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), which is responsible for the oversight and evaluation of animal care and use programmes of an institution, and for ensuring that the care and use of animals for scientific purposes and all animal experimental procedures are in compliance with the Guidelines. Under the Guidelines, all institutions with research facilities are required to establish their own IACUC to assume this function.

BMRC has established an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and applications for the use of experimental animals at A*STAR’s Biological Resource Centre may be obtained by contacting the IACUC Secretariat.

Research involving Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) OR GMO-derived Materials

The Genetic Modification Advisory Committee of Singapore (GMAC) has developed two sets of biosafety guidelines for research and commercial releases of GMOs. GMAC, together with the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR), the National Environment Agency (NEA), and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), encourage all researchers, traders and other stakeholders dealing with GMOs to comply with these guidelines.

Singapore Guidelines on the Release of Agriculture-Related Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)Released in August 1999, the objective of these guidelines is to ensure the safe import, release and use in Singapore of agriculture-related organisms that have been genetically modified. The guidelines provide a common framework for the risk assessment and approval of proposed releases of agriculture-related GMOs into the environment in Singapore.

Singapore Biosafety Guidelines for Research on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
Released in May 2006, the objective of these guidelines is to ensure the safe containment, handling and transport of GMOs used in research and to provide a common framework for assessment and notification of research on GMOs.

BMRC research units have Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBCs) which are vital in the day-to-day enforcement and implementation of the GMAC Research Guidelines. The IBCs also play an important role in the monitoring and surveillance of ongoing genetic manipulation work within the host institutions, so as to ensure that their recommendations and that of GMAC are being adhered to by the researchers.

Advisory Committees

Bioethics Advisory Committee (BAC)

www.bioethics-singapore.org

The Bioethics Advisory Committee (BAC) was appointed by the Cabinet in December 2000 to examine the legal, ethical and social issues arising from biomedical sciences research. Issues such as human genetics and stem cell research are examples of issues considered by the Committee. The BAC makes its recommendations to the Steering Committee on Life Sciences (SCLS), and has published the following reports:

Donation of Human Eggs for Research
Personal Information in Biomedical Research
Genetic Testing and Genetic Research
Research Involving Human Subjects: Guidelines for IRBs
Human Tissue Research
Ethical, Legal and Social Issues in Human Stem Cell Research, Reproductive and Therapeutic Cloning

Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC)

www.gmac.gov.sg

In 1999, the multi-agency Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC) was established under the purview of the Ministry of Trade and Industry to oversee and to provide scientifically-sound advice on the research and development, production, release, use and handling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Singapore.

The objective of GMAC is to ensure public safety while maintaining an environment that is conducive for commercial exploitations of GMOs and GMO-derived products. GMAC’s responsibilities include the following: to advise and recommend for approval, or otherwise, the research and development, production, use and handling of GMOs; to review, monitor and advise on matters related to the release of GMOs into the environment; inform the public, where deemed necessary, on planned releases of GMOs; to establish mechanisms for exchange of information with overseas agencies and to facilitate the harmonization of guidelines with regional and international authorities; and to facilitate public education and create awareness on GM issues.

GMAC has released two sets of guidelines covering the commercial release of agriculture-related GMOs and research on GMOs, namely:

Singapore Guidelines on the Release of Agriculture-Related Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)Released in August 1999, the objective of these guidelines is to ensure the safe import, release and use in Singapore of agriculture-related organisms that have been genetically modified. The guidelines provide a common framework for the risk assessment and approval of proposed releases of agriculture-related GMOs into the environment in Singapore.

Singapore Biosafety Guidelines for Research on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
Released in May 2006, the objective of these guidelines is to ensure the safe containment, handling and transport of GMOs used in research and to provide a common framework for assessment and notification of research on GMOs.

National Advisory Committee on Laboratory Animal Research (NACLAR)

View NACLAR Guidelines

The National Advisory Committee on Laboratory Animal Research (NACLAR) was established in 2003 to develop national guidelines for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes in Singapore. The Committee, which comprises representatives from academia, research organizations, AVA, as well as legal and ethical specialists.

The NACLAR Guidelines on the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes was released in October 2004. The scope of the Guidelines covers all aspects of the care and use of animals for scientific purposes including their use in teaching, field trials, environmental studies, research, diagnosis, product testing, and the production of biological products. The aim of the NACLAR Guidelines is to promote humane and responsible care and use of animals for scientific purposes in Singapore.

NACLAR has developed Guidelines which acknowledge the best practices of countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, The US, and organisations such as the Council for International Organisations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) and the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals Used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes (1986). These countries and organisations have laid down stringent Guidelines and procedures governing the use and care of animals in research.

Last Updated on 14 August 2009