Young people ’s awareness on biobanking and DNA profiling: results of a questionnaire administered to Italian university students

This study shows that Italian people with a higher education take a generally positive attitude to the idea of donating biological samples. It contributes to empirical evidence of what Italy ’s citizens understand about biobanking, and of their willingness to donate samples for research purposes, and also to have their genetic profiles included in a national forensic DNA database. Our findings may have clear implications for the policy discussion on biobanks in Italy, in particular it is important to take into account the Italian population’s poor consciousness of forensic DNA database, in order to ensure a better interaction between policy makers and citizens and to make them more aware of the need to balance the individual’s rights and the security of society.
Source: Life Sciences, Society and Policy - Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research