Ethical and Social Aspects of Bioinformatics

Project leader: Professor MATTI HÄYRY
Department of Social and Moral Philosophy, University of Helsinki

Doctoral students of the projects:

Other researchers of the project
Tuija Takala, University of Helsinki and University of Manchester
Jukka Takala, University of Helsinki
Salla Lötjönen, The National Research Ethics Council
Piia Jallinoja, National Public Health Institute

Key words:  ethics, bioethics, professional ethics

Project desciption and main results:  
The Human Genome Project is coming to its completion, and humankind is entering a new, "postgenomic era". Bioinformatics means the quick and wide use of biological information in research and development. Already while the human genome was being mapped, ethicists drew attention to the ethical and social problems created by the rapid dissemination of information. In the postgenomic era, the old problems remain, and new ones are identified every day. This project studies, in collaboration with bioscientists, the old and new problems of bioinformatics. Special attention is given to two new areas, namely the creation of professional codes for bioscientists, and the ethical auditing of the commercial utilisation of bioinformatics. The objective is to increase knowledge and promote understanding concerning the ethical and social aspects of the development and use of bioinformatics.

Publications: