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Editorial

Ethics and Innovations in Biomedical Sciences

Wickramatilake C. M.

Professor, Department of Biochemistry, and Chairperson, Ethics Review

Committee, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna

Email: chandimadhu@live.com

In the recent past, there is proliferation of innovations in the field of biomedical

sciences. These include primarily the products (pharmaceuticals, food supplements,

technical devices) and services (educational programmes, patient management care
procedures). The pace of increase of innovations have contributed to the economic

growth and the development of the countries. However, the innovation/research may
associate with ethical challenges. Therefore, I would like to devote this editorial to

brief on the potential ethical issues associated with the innovations and the way
forward.

In the healthcare systems, clinicians tend to introduce new, untested practices to

patient care based on their experience without rigorous scientific evaluation.

Sometimes, this may lead to the violation of patient’s autonomy, creating a pathway
for exploitation and harm than good. Therefore it is advisable to conduct clinical

research to see the effect of a procedure before implementing it as a practice(Earl,
2019). Further, bioelectrical devices invented in the field of medicine may have

potential ethical issues. The devices created for the management of neurological

disorders can alter the brain stimulation and signal generation. These patients might
have issues related to informed consent and social justice as they may not be able to

give informed consent (Packer, Mercado, & Haridat, 2019). Similar forms of ethical

i