海斯丁中心获NIH 110万美元资助研究基于NIPT相关的道德等问题

  近日，海斯丁中心（Hastings Center）一个研究小组获得美国国立卫生研究院一项为期3年、110万美元的资助，用于研究基于新一代测序技术的围绕无创产前诊断的道德及一系列状况的出现。
  在这项资助的帮助下，科学家们将联合临床专家、社会学家、维权病人以及哲学家来指导无创产前诊断的使用。这项资助项目的首席研究员Josephine Johnston在一项声明中指出，新一代的出生前诊断可以为未来的父母提供大量的关于将来出生婴儿的遗传组成等信息，通过进行本项计划，我们可以帮助发现新的政策和实践能力来告知、支持并且允许患者进行诊断的决策。
  然而无创产前诊断如何进行以及潜在的政策如何改变都需要考虑，以便其可以帮助支持无创产前诊断在伦理上的使用；新一代的产前诊断在多种方面都表现出了不同，比如心理学、社会学、以及道德上等，由于针对诊断的临床和政策蓝图目前已经进入到了快速演变的状态，因此后期还需要进行大量研究来确定诊断技术的应用性。
  海斯丁中心指出，随着无创产前诊断在35岁以上的女性个体中被推荐，该诊断技术在未来或许可以应用于更大范围年龄段的女性个体；同时保险公司也开始在平均风险的怀孕人群中对这项检测技术进行赔付，来自专家的指导意见或许并不会在限制无创产前诊断技术在高风险人群中的应用了。
  最后研究者希望可以围绕无创产前诊断技术开展一项详尽的分析以及推荐模式，或许可以集中对怀孕女性及其伴侣进行重点研究，而最终模式或分析获奖通过学术刊物、会议报告、公开会议或项目网站来发布。（转化医学网360zhyx.com）
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NIH Awards Hastings Center $1.1M to Study Issues Around NIPTs

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a team of researchers led by the Hastings Center a three-year, $1.1 million grant to examine the ethical and practical issues around non-invasive prenatal tests based on next-generation sequencing.

With the funding, the researchers will also collaborate with a working group of clinical experts, social scientists, patient advocates, and philosophers to craft guidelines for the use of such tests.

"The next generation of prenatal tests are set to offer prospective parents an enormous amount of information about the genetic makeup of their fetuses," Josephine Johnston, director of research at the center and principal investigator of the grant project, said in a statement. "It is our job, through this project, to identify policies and practices that can inform, support, and empower patients to make testing decisions that are consistent with their goals and values."

Among the specific issues that will be addressed under the initiative are the types of traits that should be tested for, how NIPTs should be conducted, and the potential policy changes that should be made in order to support the ethical use of such testing.

"Next-generation prenatal tests are different in ways that are psychologically, socially, and morally salient," Hastings Center President Mildred Solomon added in the statement. "Because the clinical and policy landscape into which these tests are entering is rapidly evolving, new research is needed to ensure their wise and effective use."

The Hastings Center pointed out that while NIPTs are generally recommended to women over the age of 35, the tests may be poised for use by a broader population in the near-future. Indeed, insurers have begun reimbursing for the use of the technology in average-risk pregnancy populations, and guidelines from professional societies no longer limit the use of NIPTs to high-risk populations.

The Hastings Center expects to produce a draft analysis and set of recommendations around NIPTs, which will be presented to focus groups of pregnant women and their partners. A final version will be released via scholarly publications, conference presentations, a public meeting, and a project website.