In an editorial that accompanies the article, Judah Folkman, M.D., of Children's Hospital in Boston, writes, "DNAzymes targeting c-Jun could act as both direct and indirect inhibitors of angiogenesis."
Contact: Levon M. Khachigian, Centre for Vascular Research, The University of New South Wales, 61-29-385-2537, l.khachigian@unsw.edu.au
Examining the Potential Conflicts of Interest of Clinical Trial Participants
Research subjects in early clinical trials should avoid trading stock in the company that owns the drug being tested because these conflicts of interest could interfere with the trials, according to a commentary by a group of oncologists and bioethicists.
Research subjects often have access to unpublished information when they enroll in a clinical trial and have been known to sometimes trade stock based on this information. In their commentary, Paul R. Helft, M.D., of the Indiana University School of Medicine, and colleagues examine the scientific, ethical, and legal concerns raised by the possibility of this type of conflict of interest. These conflicts may interfere with a participant's honest reporting of a treatment's toxic effects and, if known by their physician, could negatively affect the patient-physician relationship and the process of informed consent. In addition, subjects who use information from trials in which they participate to make decisions on the stock market could potentially face legal consequences for insider trading.
The authors suggest studying the extent of these c
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Contact: Sarah Zielinski
jncimedia@oupjournals.org
301-841-1287
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
4-May-2004