Making all the children above average: ethical and regulatory concerns for pediatricians in pediatric enhancement research

Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2009 Jun;48(5):472-80. doi: 10.1177/0009922808330457. Epub 2009 Jan 21.

Abstract

Building on the knowledge generated by the long history of disease-oriented research, the next few decades will witness an explosion of biomedical enhancements to make people faster, stronger, smarter, less forgetful, happier, prettier, and live longer. Growing interest in pediatric enhancements is likely to stimulate the conduct of enhancement research involving children. However, guidelines for the protection of human subjects were developed for investigations of therapeutic modalities. To date, virtually no attention has been paid to whether these rules would be appropriate for investigations to establish the safety and efficacy of technologies intended for enhancement rather than therapeutic uses and, if not, whether ethically acceptable rules could be designed. This article discusses whether the current guidelines for pediatric research provide appropriate protections for pediatric subjects in enhancement research and considers what additional protections might be necessary.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Biomedical Enhancement / ethics*
  • Biomedical Research / ethics*
  • Biomedical Research / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Child
  • Humans
  • Nontherapeutic Human Experimentation / ethics*
  • Nontherapeutic Human Experimentation / legislation & jurisprudence*
  • Pediatrics*
  • United States