Our Ethical Commitment
In accordance with the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans, the guidelines of the Canadian Tumor Repository Network (CTRNet), and other international policies regarding research ethics, the cbcf Tumor Bank’s policies and procedures treat human tissue and associated data with the respect and protection granted their human donors. Guiding principles such as respect for persons, concern for welfare, and justice are reflected in how we accrue, store, and ultimately release the biological samples and associated data to researchers. Researchers must demonstrate they will continue to honor this commitment to ethical practice by providing evidence of approval from their local Research Ethics Board, by providing details of a sound scientific protocol, and by agreeing not to attempt to compromise any de-identification measures the cbcf Tumor Bank has taken to protect participant privacy.
The cbcf Tumor Bank operates under the ethical oversight of three Research Ethics Boards in Alberta and as such, ensures our practices are consistent with the evolving laws and ethics pertaining to health and human research. As with other human research such as clinical trials, patient safety and protection remains the paramount concern.
The cbcf Tumor Bank obtains written, informed consent from all participants who choose to allow their biological material and clinical information to be entered into our facility for use in future research. Participants are aware of the voluntary nature of their donation and that they retain the right to revoke consent and have their material and data destroyed at any time. The written informed consent form allows participants to grant permission for their samples and data to be used for both cancer-specific research and other health-related research. Additionally, participants can indicate their willingness to be contacted in the future regarding further research participation.
